


The Edge Of The Cliffs

by kaila_kaycee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Heavy Angst, Ignores HBP and DH, M/M, Summer After Fifth Year, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-03-01 13:19:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 26
Words: 52,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2774438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaila_kaycee/pseuds/kaila_kaycee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Only Choice

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've ever written a HP story. I've always been an active member of the fandom but I couldn't get myself to try my hand at my own story until now. I've written things for other fandoms and have gotten a fairly good response, so I hope you'll like this at least a little bit. Feedback is really, really appreciated.  
> Unless otherwise stated, the story will be in Harry's first person POV. I will mix it up, though, but it will always be stated if it's in someone else's POV.  
> This story takes place after fifth year. Sirius is dead. Voldemort is still gaining strength. The ending will disregard The Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first attempt at writing for the Harry Potter fandom. I've wrote bandom stuff before but I've outgrown most of that and spend all my time in the Harry Potter fandom so I figured, why not?  
> This story is in third person POV. Takes place the summer following fifth year, ignores HBP and DH, and contains two main pairings: Harry/Draco, and Snape/Lupin, with side Ron/Hermione. Eventual sort of mentor!snape.

"There's only one logical thing left to propose, it seems," Snape's voice sneered from the back of the room. Harry had almost forgotten his least favorite professor was there (much like the members of the Order seemed to have forgotten that he was in the room). And seeing as no one had addressed him in some time, he'd almost started to let his mind wander. It didn't seem important that they were discussing how he was going to spend his summer. Being the esteemed Harry Potter didn't seem to matter to anyone here; no one was going to listen to what HE wanted. If they did, he'd already be on the way to the Burrow with Ron and Hermione, and this meeting would not be taking place.

But the Order had decided that they couldn't endanger the Weasleys by placing Harry with them again, and as much as he hated to agree, he didn't feel right putting his best friends in danger yet again. The ordeal they had gone through in the Department of Mysteries was fresh in everyone's mind, and as much as Harry was extremely grateful to his friends for their loyalty, he never, ever wanted to put them in danger like that again.

Grimmauld Place had been ruled out right off as a place to stay, and while Harry understood and appreciated the sentiments behind it, part of him wished that they would reconsider. Sirius would be glad that they were putting the place to good use, and now that it was his, Ron and Hermione and Remus could have given it a makeover with him and -

"Potter will have to accompany me to my summer home."

There was silence in the room, and all eyes were on Harry. All of them, except Snape's, he realized with distaste. There was no love lost between him and the greasy Potions professor, but he could at least attempt eye contact once in a while, no?

The green-eyed boy flushed slightly as he realized that everyone was waiting for him to say something. The look in Professor McGonagall's eyes made him realize that she was expecting some kind of protest. Remus's eyes were filled with near pity, and Dumbledore ... Dumbledore wore his familiar serene expression, his eyes not quite twinkling, but not quite still, either.

But Harry didn't have it in him to make any kind of argument. This time last year, he would have been on his feet in an instant, spurting accusations of Snape being on Voldemort's side and unfit to be a member of the Order. Truth be told, he still didn't trust Snape entirely, but he knew that he wouldn't be turned over to Voldemort. He might, however, be killed just as pure entertainment for the twisted professor.

Also, staying with Snape would help appease his sense of guilt, just a little bit. If something were to happen to any other member of the Order, he'd blame himself endlessly. But Snape - he chose to work for both sides, and if something happened, it wouldn't necessarily be Harry's fault. For once.

He sighed and ran a hand through stubborn dark hair. "If that's what you think is best, Professor Snape."

It was almost worth the look on the scowling man's face - he swore that Snape had to bite his tongue to keep his jaw from dropping, but he composed himself rather quickly and raised an eyebrow at the rest of the Order.

Remus Lupin was, not unexpectedly, the first to speak. "If you harm him at all, Severus -"

"I assure you, Lupin, that if I was planning on handing him over to the Dark Lord, I would have done it by now. The boy has been nothing but a nuisance to me for the past five years." His face was pulled back into a sneer as he stared at the ex DADA teacher. His dislike of werewolves was very well known to everyone, and Remus was no exception to that dislike, valued Order member or not.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it, Severus," Remus snarled, tensing up, but McGonagall laid a hand on his arm warningly.

"Severus will behave as he is expected to, being a valued member of The Order Of The Phoenix. Now, Severus, besides us, does anyone else know the exact whereabouts of this summer home that you speak of?"

Snape pinched his lip and didn't quite look her in the eye.

"Severus?"

He sighed audibly and answered grudgingly. "The Malfoys know of it's whereabouts. Lucius was the one who suggested the land to me."

"The Malfoys!" Harry gasped, staring in horror at the rest of the Order. "The Malfoys are probably worse that Voldemort! If they were to stumble upon me, they wouldn't even wait for him to get there! I bet Draco would off me before his father even had a chance to say a word!"

Snape glared at his stupid student . "Actually, Potter, I'm sure Lucius would restrain Draco and summon the Dark Lord. It would not be wise to inflict the wrath of the Dark Lord by denying him his prize."

Harry could only gape at him, jaw slack, and then chanced a look over to Remus, begging him with unspoken words. They couldn't be considering letting him go with Snape now! He hadn't been worried, but now ... Draco Malfoy blamed him for his father's upcoming stint in prison, and would want revenge. So would Lucius Malfoy ... but Draco's would be a lot longer and torturous than his father's. Lucius Malfoy had always seemed the type to find the easy way out. 

Dumbledore finally spoke. "My dear Severus, on how many occasions have the Malfoys visited you at your summer home?"

"Once. By invitation."

"And could they, if they so choose, show up without invitation?"

Severus sighed and shoved a piece of hair back while Harry stared at the floor. "Yes, Headmaster. But I highly doubt they will. It is my knowledge that the Dark Lord will be staying at Malfoy Manor this summer while he prepares himself for certain ... activities. Lucius will not leave his side, and in turn, neither shall Narcissa or Draco."

Dumbledore considered this. "Very well. I don't see any other choice, really. Anywhere else poses even more of a threat. Harry, are your trunks ready?"

He reluctantly nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Severus, are you ready to leave immediately?"

"I will need a mere ten minutes, Headmaster." At Dumbledore's nod, he glided down the stairs, his robes billowing behind him. Harry assumed he was heading for the dungeons, though how he planned on getting there and back in ten minutes was beyond him.

Remus pulled him to the side. "Harry, are you okay with this? I'm sure we could find something else, there has to be something ..."

"Remus, please. I can't put anyone else in danger, and you know that. Not after ..."

He trailed off, neither of them needing reminding of what exactly had happened a mere three weeks before. Remus instead pulled Harry to him tightly, and he hugged the only person left in his life that he could count as a father figure. 

"You really don't like Snape, do you, Remus?" Harry questioned softly.

"It's never been about like or dislike, Harry. It's about trust, and I have a hard time trusting someone who hated your father as much as Snape did."

It made sense. But ... "He loved my mother, though."

Remus sighed and patted Harry's hair, as if he were five. "I know, kid. I know. It's the only reason that I am willing to give him a chance."

Snape was back in the room too soon, hovering Harry's two trunks and his smaller, silver one behind him.

"Ready, Potter?" he asked, even though it didn't seem like he really expected an answer at all.

Harry faced the group of people who were assembled behind him. Tonks, Remus, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Bill Weasley, Shacklebolt, and Moody. All of them trusted members of the Order. He could trust them with his life, but he'd never want to burden them with his feelings. He pasted a smile on, and waved his hand awkwardly.

"Well, see you, then," he managed, "thanks for, well, everything."

"If you need anything, Harry, don't hesitate to get in touch with Mcgonagall. It's not wise for you to send owls or use the Floo to talk to anyone else, on the off chance that the Ministry is monitoring Floo addresses. But Snape is a teacher and has every right to be in touch with other teachers, so it wouldn't be as suspicious. Remember that."

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Snape was looking at Remus with poorly disguised disdain. "I'm ready, Professor."

He nodded, and threw a handful of Floo powder into the fire. He spoke an address into it, and then Harry was nudged forwards into the flames and everything else disappeared.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*/p>

The first thing the Gryffindor noticed, once he'd d found his feet (he'd never been any good at travelling by Floo. Thankfully, he HAD gotten better than the first time, when he'd found himself in the very undesirable Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley ... no, now it was just the landing that he couldn't get), was the view. He scrambled upright in front of large windows, overlooking the moors, and in the distance, a body of water. He didn't know enough about Scotland to know which body of water it was, but it was sparking and beautiful.

He felt suddenly homesick for Hermione's know-it-all-ness, something he hadn't even realized he could be homesick for. Wasn't homesickness for places? Or maybe it was just a longing for something familiar, and if 'Mione's bookworm ways weren't familiar, he didn't know what was. 

Harry only had seconds to admire the view, before the Floo roared to life again and Snape stepped out beside him, placing their trunks on the floor beside them. He cocked an eyebrow at the ashes on Harry's knees but didn't say anything.

There was a sudden urge to say something, to admire the view, to tell him he was fine, even to thank him for what he was doing, but the words stuck in his throat. 

After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Snape turned abruptly and headed down the narrow hall. Harry followed, hauling his trunks with him. The room had a bed not unlike the one he used at school, and a small desk, a chair, a fireplace, a small wardrobe, a wooden door that most likely led to a bathroom, and thankfully, more of the breathtaking view.

"I could have brought your trunks for you, Potter", Snape said neutrally. "You didn't have to lug them behind you like a common slave."

Harry bit back the first retort that popped into mind, but didn't stop the second. "It's quite all right, Professor. I'm used to summers with no magic, remember? I live with Muggles."

Snape simply sneered. "I'm assuming this room will meet your needs. You can either take your meals with me, or make your own, providing you clean up after yourself. I assume that isn't too much to ask of the Golden boy?"

Harry glared, but didn't rise to the bait. It was too early in the summer to piss him off. "Not at all, sir."

"Very well. I will leave you to get settled in. You should find anything you might need in the wardrobe. Your trunks may be stored in there, and your broom as well. And your owl -" a knocking on the window interrupted him, and he opened it. "- your owl has arrived."

"How did she get here so fast?"

"I gave her this address this morning, Potter. I knew what the outcome of the meeting would be." The finality of his tone booked for no arguments and no questions, and he swept out of the room, closing the door behind him with a sweep of his wand.

"Show-off," Harry muttered, and flung himself onto the bed. It was surprisingly soft, even though it was decorated with green and silver - Slytherin colors.

Hedwig hooted, and the boy cracked an eye open. She hooted again, ruffling her feathers. He sighed and sat up and ran a hand down her soft back.

"It'll be okay, girl. It's just two months. We've survived the Dursleys, we can survive this."

She nudged his hand with her beak, and then hopped onto the top of the dresser. He closed the window, shivering slightly. Scotland, it would seem, was colder than England, and the last thing he needed was to get sick and piss off Snape by being a normal human being. He wrapped himself in the traitorous green blanket and fell asleep, dreaming of silver orbs and shimmering veils and big, black dogs.

It wasn't a pleasant sleep, but it was sleep.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus looked up from eating as the Potter boy stumbled sleepily into the room. He'd been right, then, assuming that the foolish child needed the sleep. He looked less tired, although his eyes were red. He wisely chose not to comment on it, and instead summoned another place to the table as he sat down across the table.

"Potter," he finally acknowledged, feeling like he had to say something.

He looked up, barely meeting his black eyes. "Professor. You could have told me a time for meals - I would have cast a Tempus."

Severus scoffed at the idea of him worrying about being on time for meals. "You needed the rest, Potter. I didn't fancy you falling asleep on a plate as you've done at the Gryffindor table on several occasions."

Harry's cheeks turned slightly red but he didn't comment. It wasn't the first time today that Severus had realized he'd held his tongue - something his idiot father had never quite managed to do.

He passed him some of the bread and pasta wordlessly, and he spooned them onto his plate. They ate in silence, and when they were finished, Severus rose and started clearing the table. Dumbledore, and Lucius Malfoy alike, had offered him the services of a house elf, but he'd refused time and time again.

He realized with a start that Potter had started filling water into the sink, rinsing off the plates and bowls and empty the scarce bits of leftovers into the waste bin.

It was his turn to hold his tongue, as many unpleasant remarks were forming as he watched the Chosen One scrub pots and pans. Instead, he simply brought the remaining dishes to the counter, and cleared the table with a flick of his wrist.

"Thank you, Potter," he said, somewhat stiffly. 

He looked up, surprised, and nodded. "Thank you for the food, sir."

Severus nodded as well, and headed into the study to start marking exams. If Potter needs me, he can find me, he thought. Neither of them were stupid enough to pretend that they were going to enjoy each other's company, so he assumed that for the most part, he would be able to go about failing the ignorant first years in peace.


	2. Durness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter. I have quite a few written and am in the process of editing them right now. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Eating with Snape had actually been a peaceful experience. Harry wasn't used to quiet meal times in someone else's company . With the Dursleys, on the rare occasions that he was allowed to eat with them, Dudley was always whining about the newest thing that he just had to have, Uncle Vernon was complaining about work and the weather, and Aunt Petunia was talking about new healthy recipes and trying to eat less to make a better example for Dudley. Hogwarts ... well, Hogwarts meals were full of noise, pranks, magic gone wrong, and sour looks from the teachers and the Slytherins. And while meals at the Weasleys were amazing, Fred and George liked to have a bit of fun, and Ginny liked to stare whenever she thought that no one was looking.

Cleaning up was instinct - even at the Weasleys, they were all expected to pull their weight and help Mrs.Weasley out with the chores. Apparently, cleaning spells took a lot out of someone, especially when they were cleaning up after eight or nine people at a time on any given day.

Snape had disappeared in the time that it'd taken him to wash, dry, and put away the dishes. Harry had even helped himself to an apple that was sitting on the counter - after much debate on it being poisoned.

What now, he thought, looking around slowly.

It was only half seven, and the sky was still blue and endless, and he was very restless. Hedwig had gone out to fly, and he wanted to do the same, but he didn't know how Snape would feel about that. He didn't know if there were neighbors close by, he didn't know if there was a town nearby - he didn't know anything, really.

Harry sighed when he realized he was going to have to seek out Snape if he wanted some answers. 

The noise of a tapping quill led him to the right room, and before he had a chance to say anything, Snape turned, his black eyes meeting Harry's for the first time today.

"Yes, Potter?" he asked, barely hiding the annoyance he felt at being disturbed.

He took a deep breath, reminding himself to be polite. " I-I was wondering, sir... could I know where exactly in Scotland that we are?"

The professor seemed to be debating a moment, and then motioned Harry in. "Sit down, Potter, I don't like people hovering over me."

When Harry sat on the small sofa, he motioned out the window. "We are in Durness. It is a very sparsely populated part of Scotland. The body of water you see over there is Sango Bay. The closest place that you may have heard of is Inverness. There is very little in this area - there are a few shops, a few restaurants, a hotel service ... it is mostly a tourist area. I like this area because there is a lot of privacy. My home is situated 15 minutes from the shops, and is also under a Muggle repelling spell. So Potter, you may explore if you wish, as I assume that is what you were to ask me?"

He cocked an eyebrow again. I hate when he does that, Harry thought grumpily, and I also hate when he's right; he's so smug about it, as if he just KNOWS he's right, that I'm dying to get out and do SOMETHING.

"Yes, sir. Am I allowed to go down to the water?" It felt wrong, asking permission like a five year old, but he wasn't about to do something that would put them in danger.

Snape considered this. "I suppose. No broom, however. You may fly only in the perimeter I have marked off - you will not be able to miss it."

Harry nodded, heart lightening at the prospect of being able to fly. His heart soared, actually, and he couldn't wait to be soaring on his broom. He thanked the Potions master, and moved into the doorway.

"Oh, and Potter?"

Harry looked at him questioningly, trying (and failing) to imitate the eyebrow thing.

"Do try to stay out of trouble for once in your 15 years of life."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Over the next few days, Harry visited the cliffs quite often. Him and Snape took their midday meal at noon sharp, and afterwards, he wandered about as much as he wanted until the evening meal at seven. 

Over one of those evening meals, he risked a question.

"Are we far from Hogwarts, then?"

If Snape was going to say something about muggle upbringings or lack of knowledge, he did an impressive show of holding back. He slowly finished his forkful of fish, and then answered the question.

"No. One could actually walk there in about three days."

Wow. Who could imagine that they could be so close and still be safe? As if sensing his train of thought, Snape swallowed again and continued.

"Although Hogwarts' students come from all over Britain, the majority come from England. Few are from Ireland, few from Wales, and even fewer from Scotland itself. Which is why I chose to purchase a summer home here. It is quiet, indeed, but it is also the last place one would consider looking for me."

"Because it's so close to Hogwarts?"

"That," Snape nodded briefly , "and because it is a strictly Muggle area."

Harry had deducted that himself on the walks along the cliff. There had been no hints of magic whatsoever - walking back into the vicinity of the property made his magic tingle as it encountered magic again.

"And Lucius Malfoy recommended you this area, knowing it was full of Muggles? He hates Muggles!" Harry couldn't picture the long haired Malfoy senior setting foot anywhere near here.

"Lucius hates Muggles, but he respects my need for privacy and respects that I would not be caught dead fraternizing with them." 

There was a very hard edge to his voice, and Harry frowned, catching his lower lip between his teeth. If he was supposed to be on their side, how could he hate Muggles?

"What do you have against Muggles, Professor?"

His black eyes burned brightly. "That is none of your business, Potter. Now clean up, or be scarce. I have to Floo call Professor Mcgonagall and I don't need you underfoot."

He rinsed the dishes and stacked them in a neat pile, and then unable to bear the scrutiny of those black eyes, headed outside, deciding that the dishes could wait. His feet had him following the same path that he took almost every day. It was a tricky path, alongside the cliff, and he usually avoided it in the evening, not wanting to be a foolish Gryffindor and plunge to his death. Since he wasn't allowed magic outside of school, he couldn't even use a simple Lumos to light the way at night.

It was only twilight now though, and he was able to see enough to edge out partially. Before he got even halfway out, a little voice startled him.

He grabbed instinctively for his wand, which wasn't even there. He'd left it in his bedroom, not seeing any point in carrying it around for nothing and possibly accidentally dropping it into the bay.

He squinted, squatting down to look at the ledge under his, and saw a mess of curly reddish hair and green eyes glinting in the semi-darkness. 

"Uh, hi," he said softly, not wanting to startle the child.

She seemed pretty fearless, though, as she scrambled up onto the upper ledge and patted his leg.

"I'm Sally," she said brightly. "You didn't come here to jump, did you?"

"Wh-what? No, no, of course not!" Harry said, startled by the question. "I just came up here to think."

"My daddy used to come up here to think, too" she said sadly. "And then one day I guess he thought about something really sad, because he left me his scarf and a note and he jumped into the water and didn't come back. We had a funeral anyway, even without his body. I buried his scarf because I didn't want him to get cold if he decided to come back and sleep in the hole."

The compassionate boy's heart broke at the young girl's story, and he couldn't help but grab her hand. "I lost someone very special to me not long ago, too."

She looked at me with big eyes. "Did he jump, too?"

He shook his head, tears blurring his vision. Remembering that awful day, remembering Bellatrix Lestrange's awful, awful laugh. "He was pushed. By a very bad lady." 

She cocked her head. "Oh. Well, the bad lady can't hurt you here. The magic won't let her."

"Magic?" Harry breathed. 

"Yes," she said matter of factly. "There's magic here. In these cliffs, I guess. I used to think it was inside me but then my mommy told me I was silly so I decided it had to be in the cliffs. Do you feel it, too?" 

Her eyes were bright and hopeful, and Harry felt something akin to hope blooming in him. "Your mommy doesn't feel this magic?"

She shook her head. "My mommy just lays in bed and takes pills all day to make her sleep. She's sick. I go to school and then the nice old neighbor lady makes me food. She's s'possed to watch me, but she falls asleep a lot too. So I come out here to make sure no one else jumps. Not many people come here anymore though. I think the magic keeps them away."

"None of the other children feel the magic, either," she added sadly.

Harry got to his feet very fast. She was a witch! This little girl was a witch. He had to tell Professor Snape. He could approach her mother, explain things, and then Harry could take her under his wing for the summer. He'd always longed for a big family, and being around the Weasleys had only made the longing worse. And now here was faith, practically dumping a little sister into his lap. 

"Did I say something wrong?" Sally asked anxiously when she noticed her new friend was getting up to leave. 

But he smiled at her, a big, wide smile. "No! I just need to get home ... but I will come visit you, okay?"

She smiled back. "The magic will help you find me, I know it will.


	3. Letters and Apparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three :) I'm trying my best to keep Snape as much in character as possible. I've read A LOT of Snape fanfiction and I think I'm doing okay *crosses fingers* Feedback is appreciated! :)

Harry ran most of the way back to Snape's house, and burst into the door. He headed down the hallway, insides bursting. Finally he had a chance to have someone look up to him because he was just Harry, not because he was (or would be, one day, hopefully) Saviour of the Wizarding World, or the Boy Who Lived. It felt like fate was giving him something back, giving him a reason to go on again after losing Sirius. It would be hard to convince Snape, but he'd make him come around. 

For the first time since Sirius's death, he felt alive. There were still innocent wizarding children in this world, children that desperately needed to grow up without the threat of Voldemort hanging over their heads. The first two and half weeks without Sirius had found Harry close to giving in. He just wanted to find Voldemort and beg him to finish what he'd started almost fifteen years ago. Anything would have been better than the gaping hole paralysing his chest. But now .. he remembered that he had a purpose. To avenge his parents, Cedric and Sirius, and countless other victims, the best thing he could do was get rid of the threat of Voldemort and give the Wizarding World (particularly the Muggleborns) a fighting chance at happiness. 

Harry skidded to a stop as he almost collided with Snape. Snape stared, his black eyes very serious, more serious than they had been in the last week. His 'classroom' look, almost.

"Potter, I need you to get in your room and close the door."

"But-"

"NOW, POTTER," he roared, raising his voice for the first time. Harry just stared at him, and then moved past him, into the room, slamming the door to signal his displeasure.

He decided to write Remus a letter. Hedwig couldn't take it out, but he was sure he could get it to McGonagall somehow, and then she could get it to Remus. He was suddenly lonely for the first time since they'd arrived, and missing his friends was something awful this year. He'd tried writing them letters a few times, but every time found himself trying to write to Sirius, instead. Now though, the words came easily.

_Dear Moony,_  
I know you said no letters, but I am positive that this will be delivered to you in a discreet and safe way, just this once. I just thought you might appreciate a word or two. You must get lonely, sometimes. I know I've been very lonely. Snape is, well - Snape is all right, I suppose. We don't talk much, which isn't very shocking. But he's been decent. He cooks, and I clean (no, he doesn't force me, I just like having SOMETHING to do. If anyone had told me I'd willingly be cleaning up for Snape, I would have told them they were mental). We're in a very lovely place, there are cliffs and water (I guess that doesn't give too much away, in case this letter does fall into the wrong hands) and I go exploring a lot. Today, I met a wizarding girl! She is adorable, she's about five, and I wish you could meet her. I'm going to try and convince Snape to let me bring her to the house and show her some stuff - she's convinced the cliffs are magic, because no one else around her can feel the magic. Snape said it's a muggle place, here, so she must be Muggleborn! Who knows, she could be another Hermione! I really hope he'll let me bring her here! She'll be safe, he has the most wards I've ever felt on a place except maybe Headquarters or Hogwarts. And her mother is apparently sick in bed and she stays with an old muggle neighbor who just lets her wander around on dangerous cliffs, so it's not like anyone will miss her for a few hours at a time. I just think it's important she learns that she's not alone! I don't want her to to find out she's a witch the way I did - and I'd rather she be able to control it just a little, so she doesn't set snakes on her horrible cousins or blow up her aunts.   
This girl has given me a new purpose - it's like I suddenly remembered why I'm needed. I would give anything to just be Harry, normal almost 16 year old wizard, but at the same time, if I have to be the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, whatever, I want to do it for children like Sally. I want them to have the one thing I never did - a normal childhood. The years I had with the Dursleys were closest thing to normal- but they would have been different, wouldn't they have, if my parents had lived? I would have been loved, and I would have gotten to be a child, instead of a child slave. We only get one childhood - we need to make the best of it. There's plenty of time to learn traditions and rules and expectations later on.   
I hope this letter finds you well, Moony. I miss you a lot. Give everyone my love, if you see them. And be careful. 

_HJP._

He signed the letter with a flourish. It was a little sentimental, and filled with some ramblings, but Remus would forgive him. Now, he just had to convince Snape to give the letter to McGonagall. He didn't know how long he was supposed to stay in here - til morning, probably. He crept to the door, ready to creep to the study and leave the letter (and an explanation) on the desk. But then, he heard it. After staying at Headquarters last summer, and over Christmas break, it was a telltale popping noise that he knew all too well.

The -pop- of someone Apparating into the house.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus had smoothed his face into his trademark mask of severity by the time Lucius and Draco entered the room. He had heard them as they apparated into the kitchen, but he waited, knowing that Lucius would head for the study, as he'd instructed him. No one could apparate anywhere into the house except the kitchen, and even then, only with permission.

He'd been rattled when he'd gotten the Firecall from Lucius, graciously asking if he and Draco could apparate here on a matter of urgent business. He'd stalled as long as he could - Potter was out, and he couldn't have them here until he was back and locked away.

Severus had finally seen him running back towards the house, and had instructed Lucius to get here in a half an hour. He'd been miffed by the wait, obviously, but Severus had his Firecall with Minerva as an excuse. No matter what, Lucius knew that he valued his job - and the elder Malfoy valued it, too. How else was he supposed to keep an eye on Draco (and Potter) if he was no longer employed at Hogwarts?

"Lucius," ,he said graciously, rising to his feet and offering a hand. Lucius shook it, and nudged Draco, who was glaring at his father.

"Draco? Aren't you happy to see me?" Severus asked his godson, doing his signature eyebrow arch.

"Of course," he mumbled, looking at the floor.

"We best get straight to the matter, then, Severus," Lucius said. "I need Draco to stay here for the summer - the Manor is simply not fit for him right now, with the Dark Lord residing there."

Severus felt a jolt of hot panic stab his chest, but he knew that outwardly, he was still as composed as always. "Oh?" he said, looking at Draco, who was still not looking up. "Does Draco not wish to offer his services to the Dark Lord?"

Draco mumbled something unintelligible, and Severus turned his black eyes to meet Lucius's grey ones.

"The Dark Lord is not yet ready to give the Mark to children, and while normally I would have no objections to Draco staying at the Manor and learning what will be expected of him in a year or two, another of the Dark Lord's servants has taken an unhealthy liking to Draco, and I will not be subjecting him to any unnecessary risks. He will be needed at Hogwarts in September, if only for appearances sake, and nothing can jeopardize that. I need him to be safe, Severus, and this is the safest place I can think of."

It wasn't easy to hold back the snort. Lucius wanted his child safe, yet he would have him take the Dark Mark in a heartbeat if that were his Lord's wishes.

He sighed. He couldn't refuse to keep Draco here without giving away his position as a spy. He would just have to ensure that there was no way he could speak of anything that might happen this summer. Also, with Lucius being sent to Azkaban in a mere week's time, along with the other Death Eaters that had been in the Ministry on that night, Draco would be safer here, there was no denying that.

"Very well, then, Lucius. Draco may stay with me."

Lucius turned to Draco. "You are to obey Severus as you would me, is that clear?" 

Draco nodded, his pale face whiter than usual.

"You may help me prepare my lessons for the coming year, if you wish, Draco," Severus offered, knowing this would please both father and son. "It'll give you a bit of an unfair advantage, but life isn't about being fair. And as few people managed to get O's on their OWLS, anyway, there will be far fewer students in my NEWTS class, and I have no doubt you can best them all."

Draco puffed up with pride at the mention of his Potions grade, but Lucius just narrowed his eyes.

"Did the Granger girl get an O in potions?"

Severus sighed. Lucius hated Granger - not just because she was muggleborn, but because she was intelligent.

"Yes," he drawled finally. "Unfortunately. But that will just be motivation for Draco to work harder to best her, isn't that right, Draco?"

He nodded quickly, and didn't look at his father at all. Severus felt a sliver of pity for his ignorant godson. It was such a shame, to always want to please other people, to always feel the need to prove yourself. But that was what being a pureblood was all about. Especially for the Malfoys.

Lucius nodded sharply, and then flicked his wand. A solid thump from the kitchen alerted them that Draco's trunks had arrived.

"I should be getting back , then. While the Dark Lord approved of me placing Draco with you, he will not approve if I do not return soon." Lucius turned his grey eyes to his long-time friend. "Your location is still a secret, Severus. The Dark Lord did not ask for it, and I will not volunteer the information. He trusts you, and he trusts that I am doing what is best for Draco, as well. I will not be in touch unless it is of utmost importance. Goodbye, Severus. Goodbye, Draco."

With that, he marched into the kitchen and apparated out, not even leaving his only child the chance to bid him Farewell.

Severus waited a moment, to make sure he was gone, and then reset the wards, sealing the place off to anyone except the three currently inside.

The three of them. Oh, Merlin, why? Draco and Potter hated each other, even more so after Lucius had been sentenced to Azkaban following the commotion in the Department of Mysteries. He'd only be serving a short term, and would likely be out within a month, but Draco still wasn't likely to forgive Potter.

There was really only one thing Severus could do to ensure the safety of both the boys he suddenly found under his care.


	4. Vow For An Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if there's any errors. I'm editing my work myself and trying my hardest not to make any mistakes, but hey, it happens.  
> Without further ado, here is Chapter 4 :) As always, tell me what you think :)

Malfoy was here! Draco Malfoy was in this very house, the house where he was staying, the house where he was supposed to be safe!

For a wild moment, Harry considering breaking the window and soaring out of here on his broom. It would be worth taking on all forms of Death Eaters - he couldn't be stuck with Malfoy all summer! Provided that Snape even managed to get him to keep his big mouth shut about me being here, he thought scornfully.

He sighed, and flopped on the bed. Maybe he could just stay in here all summer. Snape could ward the room while Malfoy was asleep, and surely he could manage to bring some food. But ... Sally, he thought with a sigh. He'd miss Sally so much.

He punched the pillow. Damn you, Draco Malfoy! You ruin everything!

He had almost settled into sleep when there was a sharp knock on the door. He quickly undid the muggle lock, and Snape swept into the room, a mute, white-faced Draco lingering in the hallway behind him.

"Potter," he said briskly. "I'm sure you are aware that we have another guest."

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Draco is willing to make an Unbreakable Vow, to ensure that he cannot speak of anything that takes place here this summer. This includes my real loyalty, your whereabouts for the summer, and anything and everything else that may be revealed to him. I need you to perform the spell, Potter."

He opened his mouth to say something, but Snape was faster, as always.

"You may or may not be aware, but an Unbreakable Vow results in death if one breaks the vow. You will remain safe, because I am sure Draco has no wish to die, or else he could have simply stayed at the Manor and let himself be subject to Fenrir Greyback's affections."

Harry shuddered at the thought of that. No one, no, not even Malfoy, deserved to be raped and possibly killed by the most demented werewolf in the world.

Snape passed over a piece of parchment. "I will ask these questions to Draco. He will, in turn, reply "I will." Afterwards, you simply recite this incantation, and the vow will be completed."

The younger boy took a deep breath. He couldn't believe this was about to happen. Draco Malfoy was going to be here for the whole summer and there was nothing he could do about it. The vow, written in three parts, consisted of protecting Harry's whereabouts, protecting Snape's true loyalties, but also, surprisingly enough, consisted of not attempting to kill Harry. There was nothing written about about maim or seriously injure, but their greasy haired professor obviously figured that they were bound to fight - after all, he knew what they were like in school, a little too well. Maybe it'd do us both some good, Harry thought maliciously.

Right on cue, Harry's blond enemy stepped into the room. His grey eyes met Harry's green ones for a half second, and then dropped back to the floor. His hands were clenched, and he looked very tense. The Gryffindor almost felt bad that nervous Slytherin had to go through with this - but there was no way he'd ever trust him with his life.

Harry looked at Malfoy first, and then at Snape. Snape nodded slightly, and then looked Draco dead in the eye. They clasped hands, and Draco closed his eyes briefly, and then nodded slightly as well.

"Will you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, keep any information, specifically the whereabouts, of Harry James Potter, a secret from anyone and everyone who seeks information from you?"

"I will."

"Will you keep the secret of the true loyalty of one Severus Snape, as well as the secret of any information you happen to obtain about him or Harry James Potter?"

"I will."

"And will you take responsibility to help me protect Harry James Potter and keep him alive until the start of the school term?"

"I will."

Harry recited the magic words softly, and a band of magic flew out of his wand and wrapped around the joined hands, shimmering soft and gold for a moment before disappearing.

Malfoy and Snape dropped their hands, and Snape looked at his least favorite student with a satisfied smirk. "Very well. Draco, I will show you to your room now."

He followed him mechanically out the door, and Harry closed the door with a thunk, and sat on the bed with his head in his hands. So much for a peaceful summer.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 

Draco couldn't believe that he had just been forced to make an Unbreakable vow in order to protect Potter. POTTER! The great Chosen One, the Boy Who Wouldn't Die, the stupid Gryffindor prat who had gotten his father sentenced to Azkaban. Oh, surely he wouldn't be in there for very long before he found a way out, but he was going there nonetheless, and putting a smear on the Malfoy name. It was unthinkable!

He buried his face into a pillow to smother a scream. Malfoys didn't lose their composure over stupid gits.

There was a soft rap on the door, and Severus poked his head into the room, holding a tray of something that smelled good.

"Your father mentioned you haven't been eating, Draco. I will not have you wasting away on me, so you will eat."

He placed the tray on the desk and exited the room. Obviously he doesn't know how to deal with me right now, Draco mused to himself, and that's fine with me.

If he was being completely honest with himself, he wasn't surprised that his godfather was actually a spy. (He avoided the word traitor. Bad things happened to traitors. Bad things didn't happen to spies, because spies didn't get caught). His father had wondered about it for some time, and the blond felt a thrill of power, knowing something his father didn't. But even if he hadn't made the vow, he never would have betrayed Severus.

Which means that he never would have disclosed Potter's whereabouts, either, he realized darkly. Severus just wanted to make him swear to help protect the stupid four eyed git and help him keep him safe.

Draco sighed a long, miserable sigh. Protecting Harry Potter. It was so unnatural. It went against everything he had been raised to believe in. Protect him, indeed. Throw him off a cliff, maybe. That was more like it. As long as he didn't die, Severus wouldn't mind, right? Draco could cast a cushioning charm so the git wouldn't split his stupid head open. The look on his face alone would be worth it.

He made short work of the sandwiches and stew that were on the tray. He wanted desperately to wander around the house, but it was almost midnight and he didn't want to enrage Severus this early in the summer. Also, he didn't want to risk running into the other guest of the house.

He sighed and settled into the covers, even though he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Lunch the next day was an awkward affair. Snape and Malfoy made small talk with each other, Potions and OWLS and whatnot, and Harry just sat there, not really eating much, and talking even less. They finished eating before he'd even managed to eat half of what was on his plate.

Finally, he couldn't stand it any more, and pushed his chair back with a clatter and started clearing the dishes and piling them in the sink. He viciously scrubbed at the stupid green plates (funny how the green had never bothered him before today) and scalded his hands with too hot water, refusing to turn around, even though he could feel two sets of eyes on his back.

After a long minute, a throat cleared. "Potter."

He half turned. "Malfoy."

"W-would you like some help?" he asked, sounding like the words were all but strangling him.

Harry wanted to laugh, he really did. A Malfoy, offering to help clean up? Laughable. But he also wanted to cry over the thought of how strange his summer suddenly was. He'd never endured anything like this at the Dursley's.

"No, Malfoy. Cleaning up after people who think they're better than me is nothing new to me."

He could feel the disbelief in the air, from both Malfoy and Snape. Figures. Even Ron and Hermione hadn't believed how bad it was, until the summer after first year. The summer Ron and the twins had risked everything to rescue him. Molly Weasley had been shocked at how thin he was, and Fred and George had wanted to torch the Durlsey's house when they'd seen the bars on the window of the pathetic room that was supposed to be Harry's.

Apparently the pointy blond had heard rumors, though, even if he didn't believe them. "Why would Dumbledore send you there if it was such a horrible place?"

"For the same reason he sent me here this summer," Harry snapped, wrestling with his least favorite pot (and the one that Snape seemed to use the most). "Because it was safe. They may have locked me up and forgot to feed me on occasion, but they wouldn't kill me. Not at the price that Dumbledore was paying them."

"Paying them?"

He turned to face Malfoy again, crossing his arms. "Yes, paying them. He was paying them to keep me. They never would have taken me in otherwise. They hate magic."

"But-"

Harry had enough. "For Merlin's sake, Malfoy, just shut up! If it makes it easier for you to hate me, pretend I was a pampered prince! Just stop bugging me! I want to get this washing done so I can go and get some air!"

He slammed a plate down on the counter so hard that it broke into multiple pieces and looked at Snape, daring him to say something. Instead, he just snapped his fingers at the plate and it mended itself.

He sighed loudly. "Just go, Potter. I'll finish up."

Feeling slightly ashamed, he grabbed his cloak from the back of the chair. Malfoy was looking at him, with an unreadable expression on his face.


	5. Truce?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to add this to fanfiction.net, too. Username is kailakaycee if anyone would rather read it there :)  
> I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season :) I'm unfortunately stuck working most of the holidays but that's what happens when you work in the healthcare department.  
> So, voila, chapter 5. Enjoy :)

As soon as he was out of sight of the house, Harry started jogging, and then it turned into a full blown run. His legs hurt, and every breath felt like fire, but the exercise cleared his head and chest. He slowed down as he got to the cliffs, looking for any evidence of red hair. There was none to be seen.

He sat down, mulling over dinner. From now on, he considered, maybe he should just ask Snape to save him leftovers, or fix himself a dish and bring it down here to eat. 

Harry knew that a lot of people thought he was a spoiled brat who got everything handed to him. It shouldn't hurt as bad as it did. Sure, he had lots of gold in his vault, and there was obviously the fame. The fame that he didn't ask for, he thought dismally. And as if it was all good. Headlines from earlier in the year screamed at him. "The Boy Who Lied!" "Dumbledore's Boy Wonder Losing His Mind!" People he had considered friends hadn't believed him when he said that Voldemort had returned. Cho had claimed she didn't blame him for Cedric's death, but he knew she did. Umbridge had punished him in ways that he hadn't even know existed because he stuck to his story. 

He glanced down at his hand, the faint scars barely visible to anyone, but very clear to him. I must not tell lies.

He groaned softly. With everything he'd had to deal with since turning eleven, he sometimes wished he had had the childhood everyone believed he did. With everything he'd had to deal with at the Dursleys, he should be the one out for Muggle blood. Instead, even after everything they'd done, he'd begged Dumbledore to send them away to America until it was safe for them to come back. He didn't want anyone to die for him, even the Dursleys. After Dudley's encounter with the Dementors, he couldn't chance anything.

They'd gone there, directly after the last day of school, to gather the meagre belongings he had left there, and for Dumbledore to take down the spells that had been on the house. It'd been an awkward affair. Dudley had been the only one to look Harry in the eye and wish him well. 

_"So um, Harry." Dudley had said, straining his fat neck as he looked at every spot in the living room but Harry._

_"Yes?"_

_"Um. I never did thank you, for, you know, last summer. I'm glad you didn't get kicked out of school or anything."_

_He had looked at his former nemesis in mild surprise. "Thanks, I guess."_

_"And I'm glad you're getting us out of danger."_

_He had held back a snort. Of course, he would think about himself and how he was in danger. Harry wasn't really worried about Voldemort finding the Dursleys and killing them - he wasn't stupid, he knew they would know nothing of interest and would much rather target Harry's friends, or Order Members._

_"It's the least he could do for us after we let him live with us for all this time," Vernon had said smartly. "He owes us."_

_"I owe you nothing!" he had snapped. "Don't think I don't know how well you've been paid for my keep."_

_Dumbledore had laid a hand on my arm. "Harry."_

_" 'm fine," he had mumbled. "Let's just go."_

_He turned, ready to walk out the door, but was stopped by a pudgy hand on his._

_"Harry. I meant it. Thank you. And I'm sorry for everything And ... be safe, ok? If anyone can get through whatever this war of yours is, it's you."_

He'd been shocked into the point of no words, none at all. It was only when we were back at Hogwarts that he realized he hadn't even given Dudley an answer. And for some reason, the thought of never seeing him again, never getting to accept his apology, was too much, and Harry had broke down in Dumbledore's arms, sobbing like a child. Dumbledore has just let him cry, and then smiled at him.

"He knows, Harry. Sometimes, words aren't important. He knows you forgive him." And he'd pushed something into his hand.

It was a locket, with a note. 

_Harry_ , it read, _this was in my mom's dresser. But I think it should be yours. Be safe._

__Harry fingered the locket now. He hadn't let it out of his sight since that day. In the locket, was a family picture. His mother, Petunia, and the muggle grandparents he'd never gotten a chance to meet. It was the only picture he'd ever seen of Petunia's first family - the home at Privet Drive had only held pictures of Petunia's new family, her and Vernon and Dudley. Their hatred for Harry's kind was far from a secret. But Petunia hadn't always hated his mother, he'd realized. She'd loved her sister, in her own way, in the best way she could. He cherished this picture more than anything, and it had been what he needed to let go completely._ _

__"What's that?"_ _

__He jumped at Malfoy's voice behind him all of a sudden. He shoved the locket back into the pocket of his jeans before turning to face him. He hadn't realized at lunch that the skinny blond was dressed as casually as he was - seeing Malfoy in anything other school robes or dress shirts was weird._ _

__"' 's nothing," Harry mumbled. "What do you want?"_ _

__"Just figured I'd look around - I'm not a prisoner either, you know."_ _

__He had a point. Still. "Go look around somewhere else, then. I was here first."_ _

__Malfoy stared at Harry for a minute, and then sighed. "Potter, you're not going to be able to avoid me the entire summer, you know."_ _

__He glared at that. "Can so."_ _

__Harry could tell he was holding back a snort of impatience. "Potter, don't be a child."_ _

__"What do you want from me, Malfoy?"_ _

__"How about a truce? Just for this summer? We don't have to be friends, but we can at least be civil."_ _

__A truce? The words echoed in his head. Malfoy was obviously up to something. It must be his plan, offer a truce and then do whatever it took to get Harry into trouble with Snape._ _

__Malfoy held out a pale hand with an almost smile._ _

__He shook his head before he could give in and take the proffered hand. "Yeah, I don't think so, Malfoy."_ _

__And he jogged away, further down the cliff face, away from Malfoy, away from Snape, away from the memories of the Dursleys, away from everything._ _

__*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*_ _

__Well, that could have went better, Draco thought morosely, kicking rocks over the cliff's edge and watching them as they plunged into the dark waters below._ _

__It had been Snape's idea for a truce, but he had agreed, thinking that it would be nice to have someone to talk to, even Potter._ _

__Being rejected by Potter a second time had stung more than he had realized it would. He understood his reasons better this time, though. They were enemies. They were on opposite sides of the war that was starting. It was pointless. And besides, Potter was right, he could avoid Draco, if he wanted. He probably had that invisibility cloak with him, and he could just make sure Draco would never find him again. Not that he plan on seeking him out again, Draco fumed. Malfoys didn't beg._ _

__Draco couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if him and Potter had become friends back in first year. Would he have sacrificed Potter to the Dark Lord the moment he came back, to please his father, or would he have made his own decisions for once and fought for what HE believed in?_ _

__He kicked another rock. Didn't matter now._ _

__"Hello," a voice said, startling him._ _

__He looked down into bright green eyes, brighter than Potter's. "Uh, hi," he said, not really sure what to say. He didn't have a lot of experience with children._ _

__"You're like us, too, aren't you?" she said, smiling brightly. "I'm Sally, by the way."_ _

__"Like you?" he repeated like an idiot. "Like you and who?" And then he remembered his manners. "My name is Draco."_ _

__"You have the magic in you, too," she said sombrely. "I thought it was the cliffs that had the magic, but then he told me that it was in me, and that he had it, too."_ _

__Draco was growing frustrated, but reminded himself that this was a mere child and took a deep breath._ _

__"Who is he?" he asked as gently as possible. Even though he already suspected, he wanted it confirmed._ _

__"He didn't tell me his name," she said sadly. "His eyes were like mine, though! And he promised me that he'd come back again, so next time I'll remember to ask his his name. I told him the magic would help him find me."_ _

__He sighed. Figures it was Potter._ _

__"His name is Po- Harry," he corrected himself. "His name is Harry." The name sounded foreign coming from his mouth._ _

__"Harry," she said slowly. "Harry and Draco. You two are my new friends."_ _

__He shouldn't have gotten a flood of warmth from a five year old telling him that he was her new friend, but he did. No one had wanted to be his friend in a long time._ _

__"I can make flowers grow in the grass, Draco," she said, "can you do that?"_ _

__Flowers, huh. Such a simple thing. Draco remember the first time he had realized he had done something by magic. He had wanted a book from a shelf and couldn't reach it, and just kept focusing on the book, and the next thing he knew, it'd fallen from the shelf and knocked him out. Not the most graceful thing that had ever happened, and his father always brought it up whenever he didn't do good enough at something._ _

__Squatting down on the barren grass, the gentle breeze ruffling his hair and smelling like the sea, Draco motioned for the tiny child to sit beside him. "I can make flowers grow," he confirmed, and waved his wand over the grass. Pretty pink and yellow flowers sprung up in the grass. Another wave of his wand, and butterflies fluttered over the new flowers._ _

__Potter had been avoiding using magic, he'd noticed, probably expecting Snape to scold him. That would account for why he insisted on washing the dishes like a common Muggle. But Draco knew his godfather, and he knew that a little bit of innocent underage magic wouldn't set him off. Then again, Potter had two incidents of underage magic already in his files. Because it'd been done in the presence of Muggles, but he most likely didn't know that. What kind of wizarding families wouldn't let their children use a bit of magic now and again?_ _

__She clapped her hands in delight, and closed her eyes tightly. A few seconds later, blue and purple flowers joined Draco's._ _

__"I did it!" she squealed._ _

__"Can your mommy and daddy make things grow like this, too?" he asked her._ _

__Her eyes immediately dropped. "My daddy went away last year, and my mommy just lays in bed and sleeps and cries when she thinks I'm not looking. She can't feel the magic. She told me it was b-bad. It's not b-bad, is it, Draco?"_ _

__"It can be," he said softly. "If it's not used right. But this - growing flowers and butterflies, it isn't bad. You're not weird or bad, you're special."_ _

__"Special?"_ _

__"Very special." He was debating how much more to tell her when he heard a voice calling out over the cliffs._ _

__She stood up quickly. "That's Mrs.Morgan. She watches me. I gotta go. I'll see you again, won't I, Draco?"_ _

__"Yes," he said without hesitation._ _

__"And don't worry," she said. "I won't tell anyone about you, or Harry. I don't think you're s'posed to be here, but I like you too much to tell anyone."_ _


	6. Treacle Tart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year friends! Not sure what time it is for all of you but for me it's not quite the New Year yet! A little over 5 hours to go! Nonetheless, I hope everyone's having a great time and I wish you all a great 2015. I wasn't planning on posting til after the 1st but all my plans got cancelled when I came down with a bad case of tonsillitis.  
> Anyway, enough about me. This is the first "real" Draco/Harry interaction and it's kinda sweet, I guess. Sorry if it seems like the story is going slow but I don't like the whole 'Ch.1: they hate each other Ch.2: They realize they like each other Ch.3: they get it on.' If that's what you want, I recommend you find something else :)  
> As always, feedback is appreciated! xx

Harry didn't eat supper with Snape and Malfoy that night. In fact, he didn't eat at all for almost 48 hours. 

When he finally crept out to get food, Snape was in the sitting room, stirring a cauldron that hadn't been there the last time he'd been in the room. The potion was bubbling rather loudly, but Snape didn't seem concerned as he chopped something or other, his eyes never leaving his work.

"Ah, Potter. You're alive, I see."

"Unfortunately," Harry mumbled. "Be easier for everyone if I died."

Snape acted like he didn't hear him. "There's plenty of leftovers in the fridge. Pick something, and come in here and I can warm it for you."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. After filling a plate with lots of chicken, potatoes, and green beans, he carried it into the sitting room and sat down on the couch. He felt like he shouldn't be in here, but Snape had all but insisted.

Snape waved his wand over the plate and it was suddenly warm, just warm enough to be edible. 

"I'd rather you didn't starve yourself while you're under my care, Potter. It would make me look bad."

Harry scoffed at this. "Two days without eating because I wasn't feeling well is hardly starving myself."

Snape arched a brow. "Oh? And why did you not inform me that you were feeling poorly?"

"What, so you could hold my hand?" He knew he was being rude didn't care. "I'm used to taking care of myself in the summer, Snape. I hardly need to run to you every time I have the sniffles or a headache."

The chopping ceased briefly, and then resumed, and Snape didn't say anything. Harry sighed.

"Sorry, Professor. I'm not ungrateful for what you're doing for me. I'm just used to ...."

"Starvation, and people who wouldn't notice if you lived or died during the summer. We've established this, Potter. There is Pepper Up potion in the main washroom. You may help yourself, within reason, of course."

He looked at Harry briefly, and seemed satisfied when he nodded.

Harry finished his food in silence. The hissing of the cauldron and the chopping of the ingredients soothed his nerves.

"Where's Malfoy?"

"Draco is out. He's rather like you, Potter. Doesn't like to be inside very often. He helps me with potions in the morning, but after lunch, he goes out."

"Oh." A long moment stretched between them. "What are you making?"

It looked like Snape was debating answering, either because it was an obvious potion and he didn't want to waste time on Harry's uselessness, or because he didn't want to be disturbed.

Finally, he relented, pushing his dark hair back. "Wolfsbane."

Harry perked up. "For Remus?" He couldn't believe he'd forgotten the full moon was soon, and Snape was going to have to get the potion to Remus. 

"For Lupin, yes." He paused. "I will be taking the potion to Minerva tomorrow. I've altered it enough so that it may be stored for 3 days, that way I don't have to Floo to Hogwarts every day of the full moon. It would be suspicious. If you have any letters you'd like to pass along to your little minions, I suppose I could deliver them at the same time. I'm sure they are all worried about you."

Feeling somewhat happy for the first time in two days, Harry headed to his room to write some brief notes to Ron and Hermione, and a more detailed letter to Remus, as he'd torn up the other letter in a pique of rage.

By the time he'd finished, it was time for dinner, and he hesitantly headed into the dining room. He placed the letters on the mantle. Snape acknowledged them with a nod of his head, and then gestured to the food. He hadn't planned on eating with them, but the food smelt really good and he decided to sit down. 

It was quieter than the first time they'd eaten together. They finished rather quickly, and once again, he cleared up. Malfoy appeared beside him as he was washing the dishes, and begin drying them and putting them away. Harry didn't dare say anything, not with Snape still in the room.

"Draco, I'll make you the same offer I made Potter. I'm flooing to Hogwarts tomorrow for a short amount of time, and if you would like to have any letters delivered to anyone, it can be arranged."

Malfoy shook his head. "That's alright, Severus. I have no one I wish to write to."

Harry was surprised. Crabbe and Goyle weren't the most literate, but he'd assumed maybe Pansy Parkinson, or any other of his Slytherin companions. 

They finished cleaning up, and Harry wandered outside. He didn't go far this time, though, simply sitting on the steps of the porch. Inside, he could hear Malfoy and Snape talking quietly, and then the door opened, and he sighed. His alone time hadn't lasted very long.

"Potter."

And it had to be Malfoy. He would have preferred, maybe even welcomed, Snape's company. At least Snape didn't expect them to pretend to be friends, or whatever.

"Malfoy."

"Um, Severus asked me to give you this," he said, and something was placed beside him. Harry was surprised to see a piece of treacle tart, something he hadn't eaten since Hogwarts. He was surprised enough to look up at Malfoy, who was holding his own plate with a piece of the sugary treat.

He delicately took a bite, and was in heaven. It was so good. "Did Snape make this?" For some reason, even though he was a good cook, Harry couldn't see him wasting time on desserts.

"Um, no. I did," Malfoy said softly.

He managed to ignore the instinct that was telling him to scrub his tongue with metal and fling the rest of the pie at the stupid pale face. 

"It's really good," he admitted. "I ... I didn't know you cooked, Malfoy."

"Thanks, Potter," he said, and if Harry didn't know any better, he'd say his nemesis sounded almost shy. "Very few people know I can cook. My parents, well, they don't approve. I made the house elves teach me in secret before Hogwarts."

Harry couldn't hold back a laugh - he could just imagine a smaller version of Malfoy, demanding the house elves teach him to cook, throwing hissy fits when he didn't get something right, and finally, smirking in satisfaction when he realized he could do something his peers couldn't.

He moved over without even realizing his intentions, until he'd waved a hand at the space beside him, motioning Malfoy to sit down. He did so hesitantly, and they finished their food without saying anything. This was the first time he'd been so close to Malfoy without worrying about being hexed or humiliated.

"Snape is taking the werewolf Wolfsbane, isn't he?" Malfoy asked. "I know he told you."

Harry tried not to bristle at the word werewolf, because as much as he didn't like it, Remus was a werewolf and Malfoy had the right to address him as such. 

"Yeah. Full moon's in two days," he replied finally.

"It must hurt," he said, seeming to really consider it. "The change, I mean."

Harry shuddered. "I, uh, I witnessed the change without Wolfsbane once. I would rather be ran over by the Hogwarts Express."

Malfoy's eyes were wide. "WITHOUT Wolfsbane? Isn't that dangerous?"

The dark-haired boy nodded. "If Snape hadn't been there, I don't know if Remus would have realized who we were or not. Snape, he, well, he protected us, I guess."

"Huh," Malfoy said, for once in his life, not having a smart comeback to make.

They sat there for at least another twenty minutes, neither of them speaking. They just stared out into space, both of them lost in their thoughts. 

Finally, the cold got to him, and Harry stood up. "I'm going in," he said, stating the obvious. "I'm cold."

Malfoy shrugged. "I think I'll stay out here a bit longer. I'm used to the cold, it's always cold at the Manor."

Harry almost asked him if he meant the temperature, or if he meant cold as in all the cold hearted Death Eaters that always hung around. He bit his tongue, though. He didn't want to ruin the fragile peace that they'd just created. Maybe rejecting Malfoy's offer of a truce had been a stupid move on his part.

"Goodnight, then, Malfoy."

"Night, Potter."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

His blankets were warm and inviting, and he was almost asleep when Hedwig started pecking at the window. He groaned, ignoring it until it became too persistent.

"Damn you, Hedwig," he cursed. "You couldn't have asked to go out earlier?" 

He opened the window and let her out. "Stay out til morning," he said groggily, and fell into the bed. Sleep came easy for the time in almost two months, and it was also dreamless for the first time in a long, long time.


	7. Detention In The Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I owe everyone who was already reading this an explanation. 18 chapters into the damn story and I got writer's block so badly that I wanted to give up on it. Instead, I rewrote it all in third person POV and made some minor changes that made me motivated enough to keep writing. So, sorry for any confusion, but from here on out, it's in third person POV. And apologies for any mistakes, rewriting 40,000 words isn't easy lol.  
> Anyway, I really like this chapter :) Feedback would be great as always! xx

Harry hadn't been lying to Snape about not feeling well - it'd been three days since, and he was finally just getting back onto his feet. He'd ignored the suggestions of Pepper Up potion, though, knowing some actual rest was what he actually needed. He'd made sure to eat, though, and every evening after eating, he would find himself sitting on the porch with Malfoy, neither of them really talking. It was quiet, but it was nice.

Snape, true to his word, had brought the letters to Hogwarts two days ago, and early this morning, McGonagall had flooed over, bringing replies and a basket of sweets and fruits from Mrs.Weasley, which Harry had put on the counter for everyone to share.

He'd been too busy enjoying hearing from his friends, and he hadn't noticed the small, longing look that Malfoy had been giving him.

Immediately after eating, he'd written back, wanting to send his letters with McGonagall, who'd stayed at Snape's request , and had lunch with the three of them. She didn't seem surprised to see Malfoy so Snape obviously had explained what was going on. Then again, it wasn't like he could really keep things from the rest of the Order.

The irksome blond was gone by the time Harry decided that it was past time he go out and find Sally. He hoped she understood why he hadn't been back to see her. He hummed to himself as he walked along the cliff, feeling for the shy magic he'd felt the last time he'd been with her.

He found it soon enough - but she wasn't alone. 

As he rounded the corner, he heard bright laughter, and a low, smooth voice talking slowly. 

He didn't want to believe his eyes. Malfoy was sitting on a blanket with Sally, waving his wand over a stuffed rabbit, changing the fur from blue to red to green and back again. Sally was giggling, and she waved her hand over the grass and a purple flower bloomed. Malfoy plucked it from the grass and tucked it behind her ear.

Harry must have made a sound, because they both turned and looked at him. Sally's eyes lit up.

"Harry! You're feeling better! Dray told me you didn't feel good so you couldn't come visit me. Harry, did you know I'm a witch? And there's a school just for us witches and wizards when we get bigger? I can't wait to get bigger, Harry!"

He stood there frozen. Malfoy had done it again. He'd one upped him. Harry had wanted to be the one to teach Sally about magic. He'd wanted her to look up to him. Instead, she was looking at Draco with glowing eyes. 

"I don't think I feel better after all," he said, and bolted back down the way he'd came. 

He only made it halfway to the house before he doubled over, gasping for breath. Tears leaked out from under his glasses and he buried his face in his hands. Stupid Malfoy. Stupid stupid Malfoy. He hated him. 

He got to his feet shakily and managed to walk a few steps before he heard footsteps running up behind him. He kept walking, forcing himself to go faster. 

"Potter!"

He kept walking.

"Potter!"

He broke into a light run again.

"Fuck, Potter, just stop!"

He whirled around. "Why?"

Malfoy stopped just in front of Harry, his hands dropping to his knees as he caught his breath. 

"Potter, why are you so upset?"

Harry glowered. "Why on earth would I be upset, DRAY?" 

The blond looked at him in shock. "Are you - you can't be jealous of my friendship with a five year old? I offered you my friendship!"

Harry wanted to slap him, he wanted to punch him and kick him and feel him break under him. The longing was so bad that he had to clench his fists and plant his legs firmly on the ground. "She was mine!" he growled. "I found her first. I wanted to show her things! I wanted to tell her about Hogwarts! But you have to have everything, don't you?" 

He looked confused. "Potter, I didn't know it was that big of a deal to you -"

And Harry couldn't fight it anymore. He lunged at him, knocking him into the ground. He punched the other boy soundly in the jaw. He thought for a minute Malfoy was going to lay there and take it, but in seconds, the bastard was fighting back, and they were kicking and punching and rolling each other all over the dirty ground.

Neither of them noticed Snape until they rolled almost directly onto his feet.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus yanked Potter off his godson, and pulled both of them to their feet, giving them a glare that had sent many a student cowering. Draco hung his head, but Potter met his gaze boldly, fire in his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he snapped, walking towards the house, yanking them both behind him. When they got inside, he pushed both of them on the sofa, and paced back and forth in front of them, robes swirling.

"He attacked me!" Draco said finally, but strangely, there were no emotions in his voice.

"Potter?" Severus questioned, staring at the stubborn Gryffindor.

"It's true," he said hotly. "I hate his stupid face."

"So you decided to break it?" he said, lifting an eyebrow. "You've been behaving civilly so far, what happened to provoke this?"

Neither boy said anything, and Severus didn't know what to do if neither of them would talk. He knew he could get the answers he wanted, but he didn't want to resort to that. He wanted them to trust him, as much as they could at least. What good would it be for them to both be here, hating each other, if they couldn't even trust the adult in charge?

Finally, Potter spoke. "It was because of Sally."

Severus snorted. "You were fighting over a girl!?" Merlin forbid. Idiots, both of them.

But Potter was glaring at him hotly again. "Not that kind of girl," he muttered. "She's five. And she's a witch!"

A witch? Impossible, was his first thought. This was a purely muggle area. But then again, it had been nearly ten years since he'd purchased this place, and it was entirely possible that there was a muggleborn in the area now. He never ventured out, getting all his supplies from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade through the floo, and his wards would prevent him from feeling any other magic in the area.

He still didn't understand why the two idiots in his care had been fighting, though. He cocked any eyebrow, waiting for a further explanation.

Draco sighed. "Potter wanted to show her magic, and tell her about Hogwarts, and I ended up doing it first. I had no idea, and I tried telling the idiot that, and then he just jumped on me!"

He glanced at Potter, who looked miserable. He was also muttering something again. Couldn't the idiot ever speak clearly?

"Speak up, Potter," he said at last.

He jumped to his feet, surprising Severus. "I said," he snapped, "that Malfoy has everything! He has a family and good grades and gets everything he wants and you like him and girls want him and this was supposed to be mine! My friend! Something of my own! Not something given to me because they felt sorry for me or given to me because they were scared of me, or given to me because I'm the bloody Saviour of the stupid Wizarding World! For once, I was just Harry. And now I'm just no one."

The sight of tears running down the dark haired boy's face made Severus's blood freeze. He had never did well with tears. 

But he simply brushed past the professor, heading to his room.

"Where are you going, Potter?" Severus demanded.

He turned, his eyes red. "Packing my stuff. Obviously, we both can't stay here, and you're not going to kick your godson out."

It almost stung to hear how little the idiot child thought of him, Severus realized broodingly.

"I'm not kicking anyone out because of a fight. If I could do that, there would be no students left in Hogwarts after a week or two."

The Gryffindor smirked at him then, and he hated that smirk because it reminded him so much of James Potter. "What are you going to do, give us detention, then?"

The thought hadn't crossed his mind, but now, a smirk of his own settled onto his face. "That's a wonderful idea, actually, Potter."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Forty five minutes later, both boys were up to their elbows in dirty cauldrons in the basement. Severus trusted that there wouldn't be another fight, not if they didn't want to find themselves slicing salamanders and crushing arrowroots for the rest of the summer.

He penned a quick note to Minerva, wanting to see what she could find out about this supposed witch in the area. He wasn't worried - she was a child. Adults couldn't use polyjuice to turn into someone under the age of ten, so that was ruled out, and glamours were next to impossible to perform on someone else from a distance. And Draco and Potter hadn't reported any other magical signatures in the area, and he knew either one would have instantly found it had there been one.

He answered his other letters - his students would be surprised that he actually got letters, he thought dryly.

The last letter was from Lupin. He'd penned a thank you note, like he did every full moon, very polite and to the point. Severus didn't understand why the werewolf insisted on such a formality - it wasn't like he ever replied. 

Although ... he sighed, and reached for a piece of parchment. He wrote quickly, informing the werewolf of Potter's latest actions. He would rather Lupin learn it from him, in a mature, sensible letter, rather than through the young Gryffindor. He didn't doubt for a minute that Potter would blow it out of proportion. Lupin had had a hard enough time accepting Malfoy's presence, even with the vow. 

He also asked of his former colleague the same he'd asked of Minerva. He didn't doubt Minerva's abilities, but she was busy as Deputy Headmistress, whereas Lupin had more time on his hands.

Severus sighed for the thousandth time that day and decided that there was nothing left to do but have a strong drink before retiring to his quarters.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Pass me the scrub brush, please, Malfoy," Harry requested politely as he dropped the forsaken thing and it rolled onto the other side of the room. He handed it over immediately, and Harry scrubbed at the last cauldron. Where Snape found these, he had no idea, but they were beyond nasty and he was so happy to be done. His bed was calling to him, and he wanted to write a letter to Remus, letting him know what happened. Not that there was anything he could do, but he'd feel better, just ranting to someone about it.

"Done," he said, relieved. They'd divided the cauldrons in half, giving them each fifteen to wash. He noticed that Malfoy still had six cauldrons left to wash. He smirked for a second, but then his stupid guilty conscience told him he should help the git, because it wasn't his fault they were down there. He still held fast to his belief that Malfoy had deserved it, but he was the idiot who'd taunted Snape (of all people) with the idea of detention.

"Damn," he said dejectedly, and Malfoy looked up questioningly.

"Pass me three of those cauldrons," he sad tonelessly. He couldn't bring himself to leave the blond in the creepy basement alone.

He raised a blond eyebrow, but passed over three of the cauldrons. The Slytherin continued to stare at Harry as he started washing one of them.

"What?" he snapped after enduring a full minute of his hot gaze.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Guilty conscience," he muttered. "My stupid idea, mentioning detentions to Professor Snape, of all people. He should have, like, an award or something for the most detentions ever handed out in a year."

Harry swore he heard Malfoy laugh, but when he looked up, he was scrubbing away intently.

"He's not so bad, you know," he said.

"Course not," Harry muttered. "You're his godson."

"He's really not that bad," Malfoy insisted. "He's just never liked you. Or Longbottom. Or Weasley. Or -"

"I get it," Harry said dryly.

"If only we could use magic," Malfoy said longingly, and Harry snorted.

"You've obviously never gotten detention with Snape, because even at Hogwarts we aren't allowed to use magic in detention. So it's out of the question to use it here."

The blond looked at him with a sigh. "I know. But for the record, Potter, you can use simple spells here and there. Snape won't get mad unless you use some kind of major hex or curse or blow something up. There's no muggles around, so it won't be reported unless it's a serious spell."

Harry stared at him. "Damn. If only I'd known ... I could have given Ginny's bat bogey hex a run for her money! Would be worth's Snape's wrath!" Harry really didn't understand how the wretched underage magic laws worked and he'd be damned if he asked Snape or trusted Malfoy.

 

Malfoy just glared and went back to his cauldron.

They finished the last six rather quickly, finishing at the same time this time. They put everything away, and walked upstairs. 

Malfoy headed to the kitchen, and as Harry turned towards his room, his traitorous stomach rumbled. He gave in and followed Malfoy.

He'd taken an apple pie out of the fridge, and cut a large piece out. When Harry walked in, he held out the plate. "Pie?"

Harry glared at the pie. "No."

Malfoy simply cocked an eyebrow, and held the plate out closer to him. 

He sighed. "Fine." He grabbed the plate and sat at the table, and after a few seconds, he was joined by the other boy.

Harry kept stealing glances when he wasn't looking. Malfoy's pale skin bruised quite easily, something he'd never noticed at school because his friends were always there to heal him. Snape hadn't healed either of their cuts and bruises, and Harry didn't blame him.

He sighed. Guilty conscience be damned. "Malfoy."

He looked up, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth.

" 'm sorry," Harry mumbled, not meeting the grey eyes.

Malfoy's hand descended onto Harry's quickly - a sign of forgiveness. "I'm sorry, too, Potter. Really. Believe it or not, I didn't want to upset you."

And for some reason, Harry believed him. He squeezed his fingers in reply, and then pulled his hand back and resumed eating.

They finished eating and rinsed their plates, heading down the hall to their bedrooms. Malfoy stopped in front Harry's door for a second, and met his gaze, grey eyes crashing into green ones.

"I know you won't believe me, Potter, but it's not always easy being me, either. I understand that you don't want to be the Golden Boy , because sometimes, I want to be anything other than the Malfoy boy. We're both more than our names, and our parents, and we're more than what people expect or demand of us. We both need to remember that. Not that I'll admit to saying this if you ever bring it up again," he said with a small smirk, and then continued on, disappearing into his room.

Harry sat on the bed for a long time, stroking Hedwig, wondering when the hell Malfoy had become so easy to relate to.


	8. Nightmares and Quidditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy weekend lovelies! (Sorry if you're one of the ones who work weekends, I do a Mon-Fri 9-5 kind of thing). I figured I'd give you another update before I set myself into writers mode for the next 48 hours. I have no life haha. No but really my friends are sick and I hurt my shoulder at work so I can't really do much so might as well get writing! I've had so many ideas this week too, thank god I noted them all down.  
> A question: Who'd be interested in reading a next generation Drarry with a pretty damn cute Scorpius? :)  
> Always,  
> KC xoxo  
> P.S: Happy birthday to the one and only Severus Snape ;)

At three o'clock in the blasted morning, a weird noise pulled Harry from even weirder dreams. He'd been dreaming of Snape and Lupin, engaged in some kind of battle, while Lucius Malfoy held back Draco's arms and muttered something about traitors.

It hadn't made any sense, but none of his dreams ever did. At least it hadn't been images of Sirius's death .. that plagued him often enough. Harry considered asking Snape for Dreamless Sleep, but he figured the stupid professor would ask a bunch of questions and he didn't feel like talking to him about Sirius, not when they'd hated each other so badly.

He heard the weird noise again. It was a strangled hiccuping noise. He cracked open the door and listened intently. Snape's room was in the far back of the house, so he didn't have to worry about the sounds being him weirdly masturbating or something - Harry shuddered intensely at the thought of that. No, it had to be coming from Malfoy's room. 

He sighed and tiptoed down to the blond's door.

The sound came again, and this time, a muffled scream, and repeated mutterings of the word 'no.'

It sounded like he was having a nightmare. Harry debated going back to bed, but his stupid hero complex had him opening the door instead. He remembered all the times Ron or Neville had woken him from nightmares, and he'd been so grateful to them.

Malfoy was trembling in his sleep, his body glistening in sweat, and he was clutching a blanket as close to his body as he could manage. 

Harry reached out and put a hand lightly on his pale arm - and he started kicking and crying, prying Harry's hand off of his skin while begging him to stop. He had a sudden realization of what this dream might be about, and shivered violently. He didn't know how to wake Malfoy up without him reacting to the touch, so he aimed his wand and a stream of ice cold water rushed out and doused the sleeping Malfoy almost instantly.

He spluttered awake, gasping for air, and jumped at the sight of Harry looming over his bed.

"Potter?"

"You were having a nightmare, Malfoy."

"Oh." He looked at his wet skin. "I take it shaking me awake didn't work?"

"You flipped out the moment I touched you," Harry said softly.

He didn't say anything, just pulled the sheet up further, so only the tops of his shoulders were exposed.

"Did I wake you?" he asked slowly.

"Kind of," Harry admitted. "I'm not a sound sleeper. I wake up a lot during the night, and when I woke up, I heard noises, and I couldn't fall back asleep and just ignore them, in case something was really wrong."

His grey eyes met Harry's, and they were really soft, and almost sweet. "Thank you, Potter," he said, and he sounded like he actually meant it.

"Were you dreaming about Greyback?"

His eyes flashed in surprise, and then in shame, and then finally, settled on anger. "How do you know about him?" he snapped, looking like he was ready to start hurling hexes.

"Snape told me." Snape hadn't exactly told him, per say, but he'd said enough.

The fight left Malfoy's eyes. "Oh." 

"It's not your fault, Malfoy," he said, surprised by the sudden need to comfort the shaky blond. "He's a disgusting monster. He .... he never touched you, did he?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"It just does," Harry insisted, and he didn't understand it, either.

He thought for a few minutes that Malfoy wasn't going to answer him at all. Finally, he relented. "No, he didn't touch me. But I overheard him telling a few others what he'd like to do to me. Most of them were laughing and encouraging it, but I guess one must have went to my father, because here I am."

Harry felt sick. He knew how horrible the Death Eaters were, but he hadn't imagined them considering doing things like that to someone ... especially not one of their own. "Why would they encourage it? That's horrible!"

He expected Malfoy to laugh at his innocence, but he just seemed sad. "I guess they thought I needed reminding of where my place was. Most of them thought I was too young to be privy to all of the information I had, and they were scared I would betray them. They wanted something they could use as, well, blackmail, I guess."

"But you're on their side."

He sighed. "It's not that easy, Potter. Everyone is always suspecting everyone else of being a traitor - and obviously they exist, look at Severus. And I guess I'm on their side ... I don't really know. Father made everything seem so glamorous - it was easy, really, to make it look glamorous. He wasn't back yet, and Father and his friends had so many tales, and they made it seem like what they were doing was so important. And I was so young, I think I was seven when they first started telling me tales of You-Know-Who. We were so rich, and so feared, and so important, and I guess that's all that mattered to me then."

Malfoy looked at Harry, grey eyes burning with emotion.

"And then I met you. You weren't what I thought you'd be. I expected you to be arrogant and full of yourself, and instead you were timid and didn't know anything about the Wizarding World and I thought that You-Know-Who had to be mental to have ever thought you were a threat. And then he came back and everything changed."

Harry was so surprised by the open honesty that he couldn't even find words for a long, long minute. Malfoy just kept staring at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Why did you want to be my friend, if you knew who I was, what your father and his leader tried to do to me?"

"Father thought that he was gone for good. Oh, he denies it now, acting like he was his faithful servant all along, but at the time, he thought he was gone for good, and thought you would be a valuable asset for me to have."

Harry suppressed a grin at that - such a Malfoy way of thinking. He didn't know what to say to any of this. 

He was saved by having to answer by Snape arriving, looking miserable and dangerous.

"It's 3am, Potter, why are you in Draco's room?"

Harry flushed, for some unexplainable reason. "I woke him up from a nightmare, sir, and we were just talking."

Snape looked back and forth at the two of us. "Very well. Back to your room, Potter. Draco, do you need anything to help you sleep?"

He shook his head. "No, I think I'll be fine."

Snape glided back down the hall, closing his door with a bang. Harry stared at Malfoy, who was staring at him. 

"Well, uh, goodnight, then," he said awkwardly.

"Goodnight, Potter," he said. "And thanks again, really."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco didn't want to go to breakfast. Last night ... last night, Potter had seen him at his most vulnerable and he hadn't liked it one bit. He was grateful that he'd been woken from his nightmare, but he was angry with himself for pouring out his feelings the way he had.

But he knew Severus would have his head if he tried to skip meals. So he showered and dressed and headed into the kitchen.

Potter was the only one sitting at the table, eyes dreary, massacring a piece of toast with a knife.

He must have heard Draco enter the room, because he looked up, and then dropped his eyes back down to his plate.

"Snape had to go to Hogwarts," he mumbled. " 'ts just you and me for the rest of the day."

Draco didn't answer and busied himself making eggs and toast. He added eggs for Potter without really thinking about it. Potter still hadn't finished eating his toast by the time he'd finished making his plate, and Draco sighed, taking the Gryffindor's plate from him and putting some eggs on it.

"Eggs are richer in nutrition and are also more filling," he informed him. "Since you're half asleep, I figured I'd cook them for you instead of risking you burning the house down."

"Thanks," he said, voice still sleepy. "I didn't fall back asleep for ages, and then Snape woke me up to tell me he was leaving."

Draco frowned at this; why hadn't Severus told him he was leaving? Did he trust Potter more?

He sat down with his eggs and poked at them viciously. Stupid Potter. Of course he had to go and be nice now and complicate things. He had liked it better when the other boy was angry with him. Or dead set on ignoring him. 

He couldn't keep up with Potter's emotions. First, he rejected Draco's attempts at being civil; then, they had shared desserts together on the porch, neither of them really talking - indifference, he guessed it could be called. Then, the anger and the fighting - and then Potter had apologized!- and now this weird almost friendliness.

Draco couldn't keep up with his own emotions, either, if he was being honest with himself. Part of him wanted Harr-Potter's friendship, but he knew he was being foolish. There wouldn't be any friendship past this summer, so it probably wasn't worth making an effort. 

If Potter wanted a friendship, Draco decided, he could make the effort. If not, they'd just continue being indifferent to each other. Either option was fine. 

The two boys ate in silence and Draco helped the green eyed Gryffindor clean up. After, Potter started to head towards his room, and then looked back at Draco uncertainly.

"Hey, Malfoy?"

"Yes, Potter?"

"Do you, wanna go flying or something? We could play a Seeker's game, I have a Snitch..."

His voice trailed off, like he wasn't expecting Draco to say yes.

"We're allowed to fly?" Funny how Severus hadn't mentioned that to him, either.

Potter nodded and mumbled something about perimeters and spells and his voiced trailed off again. Potter wasn't expecting him to say yes, but he did, and Draco found himself in his room gathering his broom excitedly.

He was excited to fly, of course. Not to spend time with stupid Potter.


	9. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an extremely long chapter. Longest one I have written so far, I do believe. This chapter is dedicated to you, Emerald_bat , for all your love on this story so far. You're the best!  
> This chapter (in my opinion, anyway) has a long of different 'feels' parts. It's one of my favorite chapters to date.  
> As always, forgive any mistakes and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me feedback. It would mean the world to me!

Severus stifled an impatient sigh as he looked at Minevra. Was she really daft?

"You want me to bring Weasley and Granger to my home next weekend because it's Potter's birthday?" he repeated, glaring at her, hoping he'd misunderstood.

"Yes, Severus," she said, glaring back at him. "Just because birthdays or holidays aren't important to you, does not mean that they aren't important to others. Especially Harry."

"And why can't we just bring Potter here for the day? I seriously doubt any harm will come to him at Hogwarts."

"Because, Severus", she pushed her glasses back on her nose, looking sterner than ever. "The house elves are gone for the summer, and the only ones remaining in the school are myself and Albus. And we are much too busy to put up with three teenagers running around the entire school by themselves."

Severus wanted to bash his head into a wall. He and Minevra were almost friends, but he wasn't intimidated by her. After years of being Head of House of Slytherin, while Minevra was Head of House Of Gryffindor, they had gone against each other many times, and still respected each other. He despised losing to her, despised losing to anyone, really. So he continued his argument. "Maybe you've forgotten that Draco doesn't get along with Weasley and Granger."

"Just tell him to stay in his room for a weekend, for Merlin's sake. It's the least he could do for all the trouble he's unwittingly caused so far this summer."

Severus stood up abruptly. "Very well. As I see you are leaving me no choice, I'll be back to collect the other two meddlesome peabrains at this time next week."

"Severus," she said, looking slighty abashed. "We really appreciate what you're doing for us. Trust me when I say we know it's not easy for you, especially now, with the added complication of Mr.Malfoy, but it is very much appreciated and we won't forget it. And neither will Harry, I daresay."

He sighed. "I know, Minevra. I know."

He started gathering the few supplies he'd retrieved, feeling the Deputy Headmistress staring at him. He knew there was more she wanted to say; but she knew it would be very unwise. He was unsettlingly aware that she could read him, almost too well. He thought back to the night before.

_Severus thrashed around in the middle of the night, blankets strangling him. He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake himself up.  
 **He was watching Harry, who was chained to a large rock, his hands handcuffed together and his body covered with thousands of tiny burn marks, tiny red marks that looked like the results of a thousand needles jabbing his skin.**_

_**"Are you ready to give up yet, Harry?" The Dark Lord asked, and Severus, under his hood and mask, clenched his fists. The Dark Lord didn't have permission to call the boy Harry! He was going to murder him, like he murdered Lily, and the elder Potter, and he was calling him by his name like they were long lost friends?** _

_**"I'm not scared of you, Tom," the boy said fiercely, green eyes burning as he stared at the monster in front of him.** _

_**"How cute," The Dark Lord, formely Tom Riddle, replied. "Someone's putting on a brave face. Hoping that Severus will tell your little friends that you were a big boy and didn't cry? You will be begging me to kill you eventually, you'll see."** _

_**"Snape is on our side," Harry snapped. "He won't let you kill me."** _

_**The Dark Lord laughed, and motioned Severus forward.** _

_**"Severus, my friend, it seems that Harry doesn't understand that you're simply a good actor. Why don't you tell him the truth?"** _

_**Severus froze. "Potter, I -"** _

_**"You're on our side!" Harry screamed harshly. "You loved my mother! And you love me!"** _

_**Severus looked from his Master to the child in front of him.** _

_**"Potter -"** _

_**Harry's eyes snapped open and his body suddenly slackened. "You are on their side," he whispered, eyes dead. "You lied to me."** _

_**"Harry -"** _

_**But Severus didn't even get a chance to say anything before Harry turned to face his lifelong threat.** _

_**"You were right," he whispered. "I'm asking you to kill me. I don't want to live if I can't trust someone I thought I loved."** _

_**Severus jumped to his feet shakily. "Harry, no -"** _

_**"Avada Kedavra!"** _

_Severus leapt from his bed as he woke up, chest tight and eyes panicked. He stumbled around the room for a moment before he got a hold of himself. It was just a dream, he reassured himself. It seems like Draco wasn't the only one having nightmares._

_It was just after seven in the morning, and Severus resigned himself to staying awake. He was apparating into Hogsmeade at nine, and then going to the castle to meet with Minevra. He would likely be gone the whole day, and should probably alert one of the boys._

_He meant to stop in front of Draco's door, but his feet carried him farther down the hall and he stopped in front of Potter's door. He sighed and rapped sharply on the door._

_Potter stirred sleepily, looking younger than the almost sixteen years he had. "Whasamatter?"_

_"Potter, I will be leaving the premises all day today. I want you and Draco to be extra cautious. Don't leave the boundaries."_

_Potter shook himself awake and blinked at the professor. "Yes, sir," he mumbled. "Won't go anywhere."_

_The boy's eyes closed again and Severus watched him for a few long minutes. He must have felt the intensity of the stare because he opened his green eyes again._

_"Anything else, sir?" he asked sleepily._

_Severus resisted the urge to feel the child and make sure he really was alive. "That's all, Potter. Good day."_

_He closed the door silently, and cursed the day that Lily Potter had moved into his neighborhood. His life had never been simple since._

 

Severus shook off the reminders of the stupid dream and turned towards the Floo, almost happy as he thought about being surrounded with his potions in a few moments.

Before he managed to grab a handful of Floo powder, however, the Floo roared to life, and a body fell forward onto the hard floor. 

The two professors both jumped backwards whipped out their wands, on instinct, but Severus lowered his as soon as he realized who the unwelcome newcomer was. He was covered in blood, so much blood that on first glance, Severus couldn't pinpoint the source and he was whimpering, a pitiful, inhumane sound.

"Remus!" The thumping noises must have alerted the Headmaster, because he was at Lupin's side in seconds, before any of us had even registered his presence. He stared at the younger professors, his eyes wide under his spectacles. "Severus, do something!"

Severus cursed the werewolf with all his might, but dropped to his knees and started feeling around. He located the source of the bleeding, a gaping hole right under the man's heart. Whispering an incantation that very few wizards knew, he halted the bloodflow and raised him gently into a sitting position. His head lolled back against the sofa, and Severus cursed again, this time outloud, as he realized the other man had lost conciousness. He levitated him onto the sofa as gently as he could, not wanting to provoke the wound again so soon.

Minevra was shaking. "Wh-what do you think happened?" 

"Werewolf," Severus answered sharply. "Only another werewolf could inflict this kind of damage without killing him."

The wounds were deeper than he had originally thought. There were two identical ones on either side of his torso, and smaller claw marks on his arms and legs. One of his eyes was swollen and purple, and his lips were caked in dry blood. The sight repulsed the potions master, and the tiniest bit of concern fluttered in his stomach.

"Why? And who?" 

"Those are questions that only Lupin can answer, when he regains conciousness." He had very nearly said if, but restrained himself, mostly because he didn't wish to have to deal with a hysterical Minerva. He knew she was quite close to the werewolf, and he didn't need her to fall apart. It pained him to admit it, but Lupin was a good member of the Order, and while he recovered, they would be one member short. There was no need to make it two by allowing her to panic.

"Should we take him to St.Mungos?" she asked instead, making a rather brilliant show of composing herself.

"No," Dumbledore said, surprising them both. "Not now. Not with all the new laws and the corruption in the Ministry. He wouldn't be safe there. They'd likely end him right off, claim that they'd put him out of his misery. No, Severus, I'm afraid I'm going to have to impose on you yet again."

His blood chilled. "Wh-why me?"

"Poppy is in France visiting her sister, who's taken ill. And there is no one else I can trust, and no one else nearly as competent as you."

"I'm not a Healer, Albus," Severus protested. He couldn't do this. He couldn't take care of the w-werewolf. "And what about the full moon?"

"He won't be able to change if he hasn't regained conciousness. I am sure, though, that Remus will wake up within a day or two, and after that, all I ask is that you provide him with healing Potions, and help him clean his wounds. You help Poppy quite a bit, Severus, and don't act like I'm not aware of it. I wouldn't ask you this if I wasn't desperate, or one hundred percent certain that you could manage it."

"But we hate each other." The words left his mouth before he realized how childish they sounded.

Dumbledore raised a white eyebrow. "I'm sure Remus will be willing to put any differences aside for the sake of his life, Severus. And Harry will be there, and the young Malfoy. I daresay the two of you wouldn't take it to duel each other in front of children?"

Severus glared, insulted. "Of course not. I will behave in a strictly professional matter. I will heal Lupin as quickly as I can, and then he will leave and we will never speak of such matters again." He stood up straight and proud. 

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Very well, my boy. Can you manage getting him to your home in one piece?"

He nodded. "Send those into the Floo after me, however," he said, motioning to the few things on Minevra's desk. 

"If you need anything else, Severus, just ask."

He nodded, and gently levitated Lupin's body into the air. He pulled him tightly against his chest, wincing as the harsh smell of blood penetrated his nostrils. Minevra flung the Floo powder into the fireplace, and he stepped in, and watched as the concerned faces of Minevra McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore disappeared.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Playing Qudditch again had felt so right. Even though he was playing against Malfoy, his number one enemy on the field, he'd let myself unwind and relax and now he found himself in the kitchen, humming as he started preparing dinner. They'd skipped lunch in favor of naps and showers, but now he was starving and he assumed Malfoy would be, too. 

He chopped vegetables with precision and measured out cups of water and oils, and didn't hear Malfoy come into the kitchen.

"You know, Potter, if you were that careful in Potions, maybe you wouldn't cause so many explosions in a year. How is it that you still have eyebrows?"

He almost dropped the knife, and whirled around to find Malfoy leaning against the counter, smirking. There was no venom in his words, however. There was almost a teasing lilt, and Harry bit back any comments and instead just stuck his tongue out and whipped a piece of celery at the blond.

"That hurt, Potter," he complained sadly, rubbing his chest. 

Harry rolled his eyes. "Get over here and help me, Mr.Chef."

It didn't take long before the beef stew was simmering on the stove, and there was nothing left to do but wait. Harry settled onto the couch, and Malfoy sat down beside him, leaning into the cushions.

"I wish wizards had TV," he muttered to himself. It was boring, just sitting here. 

"Those are those boxes with the moving pictures, right?" Malfoy asked, surprising him. 

"Uh, yeah. How do you know that?"

"Muggle studies," Malfoy said, shrugging his shoulder. "Father insisted I take it. I'm not quite sure what his goal was, though. I think maybe he'd hoped I'd learn some big secret that could help You-Know-Who wipe out Muggles."

Harry choked back a laugh at that. "As if they'd teach you about atomic bombs, or machine guns."

"Atomic whats?" The blond was a perfect picture of innocence.

Harry laughed, relaxing into the sofa even more. "Nothing, Malfoy. Nothing important. Being a wizard is much more interesting than being a Muggle, even though sometimes I wish I could find a way to make a few of the Muggle things available down here."

"Like televisions".

"Yeah. And record players, and certain sports, and microwaves and -" he flushed, remembering who he was talking to. "Sorry, you probably don't care about any of this."

"It's interesting," Malfoy protested. "And Snape has a few Muggle things. The stove and fridge are the Muggle kind, are they not? Even though they're not that complicated."

Harry nodded. "He told me that this was a Muggle-only area, so I guess he didn't want to look suspicious."

They drifted into silence, and Harry wondered if they were thinking about the same thing. Sally. She was a Muggleborn, obviously, or half blood at best, and yet, Malfoy seemed to like her. Maybe it was because they were here and not at school, where he had to live up to his perfect Malfoy name, or maybe he genuinely liked her and didn't care about her heritage for once in his life.

"Malfoy?"

"Mmmmm?"

"Thanks, you know, for being nice to Sally. She is a Muggleborn, after all..." Harry trailed off, not wanting to offend him.

"I get it, Potter," he said in a slightly chilly voice. "I know I have never been nice to Muggleborns, particularly Granger, and I know what you think of me. But Sally is just a child, and I predict her having a hard enough time later on."

Harry sighed, knowing Malfoy was right. She was bound to get teased, maybe even bullied. Maybe not at school, if things had changed by then, but down here, indeed. Living in a all Muggle area must already be hard enough. And in a way, she reminded me a bit of Luna Lovegood. He hoped, that like Luna, she'd be able to hold her own and find her own place in the world.

"Do you think Snape would keep an eye out for her?"

Malfoy seemed to consider this for a long time. "Maybe," he said finally. "He would have to meet her. If anyone could worm their way into his heart, I guess it would be her." 

The grey eyes locked on Harry's as he looked up at him challengingly. "And yes, he does have a heart, Potter."

Harry only shrugged at that. "Oh, I know that. He was in love with my mother, after all."

"Wh-what?" Malfoy's jaw dropped and the other boy bit his cheek to keep from laughing.

"They met before Hogwarts, and were friends, and then got sorted into different Houses. Snape got in with the wrong crowd, and my mom met my dad and they got married. There's more details, I guess, but no one has ever told me them. The only person left who could answer my questions would be Snape himself - and maybe Dumbledore. But I'd never ask him. If Snape wants me to know, he'd tell me. And if he doesn't, well, I guess I'll live with it."

Malfoy was silent for a long time. "Wow," he said finally. 

"I've never given much thought to love," he declared suddenly. "I always assumed I'd get matched for money, and learn to love the person, like my mom and dad. I never thought about what would happen if I fell in love with someone I couldn't have, or fell in love with someone who didn't want me."

"You're a Malfoy," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Anyone would want you."

"For my money," he agreed slowly. "But that's pretty stupid, isn't it?"

"No stupider than the hoards of people who want to marry me because I'm the Boy Who Lived," Harry grimaced. "I haven't even turned 16 yet, and I've had to turn down so many marriage proposals and date requests and even adoption requests. Both to adopt me, and for me to adopt them!"

Malfoy laughed at that, and Harry couldn't hold back either, struck by the notion of how ridiculous it all was. Sitting here, with his sworn enemy, the only person in the entire world who was able to make him feel like a normal person again. 

Without really realizing it, they'd both moved closer to each other. Malfoy's grey eyes were bright with amusement, and his cheeks were flushed, and he was suddenly the most attractive person Harry had ever seen. He put a hand out slowly, tracing his cheekbone with a finger. Malfoy's breathing hitched, and they leaned closer, eyes drifting shut. Harry's lips had almost grazed his when the Floo roared to life, springing them apart. 

Snape collapsed onto the floor, the boy were on their feet in an instant, ready to help him up. Malfoy was the first one who realized that he wasn't alone.

"P-potter, isn't that -" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Harry realized who was held tightly in Snape's arms.

"REMUS!"


	10. Hurt and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaack :) I hope you don't hate me for making you wait this long. Wasn't my original plan but I got so caught up with extra hours at work and my new training programme that I haven't even opened my laptop since last weekend. But I've read all your comments and I'm so happy! I'm stoked you guys like it so far! Keep commenting and letting me know what you think, I really appreciate it! Also, feel free to follow me on twitter/instagram @kaila_kaycee or tumblr www.d0llhouse-h3earts.tumblr.com  
> <3 - KC

Harry was barely aware of strong arms wrapping around him, pulling him away from Remus and settling him down onto the chair. He could barely breathe, and his vision was blurry as he watched Snape settle the bloody mess onto the sofa. 

He curled into Malfoy's chest, tears stinging his eyes. He had to be okay. Harry couldn't tolerate another losing anyone else. He was half-aware of soft hands sliding under his shirt, rubbing calming circles into his back, and it took a few moments for Snape's voice, surprisingly gentle, to penetrate the foggy haze surrounding his brain.

Harry snapped out of the trance-like state he was in, and pulled himself away from Malfoy quickly.

"Potter, he's alive," Snape said. "He's in a coma, and it's my job to get him out of the coma so we can get answers."

Answers. Right. Someone had did this. Someone had did this to Remus, the only person left in this world who loved Harry as a son. Oh, gods. Tears streamed down his cheeks but he didn't speak, not trusting himself not to make a horrible scene.

Snape stepped forward and placed his hands on his arm. "Potter. You need to breathe."

Breathe. In, out, in out. He was breathing, wasn't he?

"Draco, get me some Calming Draught." Snape's voice sounded far away, and Harry swayed slightly, feeling surprisingly light.

He jolted a little as he was pulled onto the other sofa, and his head was tipped back and something cool was poured down his throat. He slid into the cushions, and his head slowly stopped spinning and it no longer felt like the Hogwarts express was sitting on his chest. He realized his eyes were still screwed tightly shut, and he blinked cautiously, Malfoy's white face swimming into view.

"Potter."

Snape. He was half-laying on Snape on the sofa. He scrambled into a sitting position and pulled away a little before looking at him. 

"Better?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Wh-what happened to him?"

"I wish I could tell you," the Potions Master said slowly. "I think he was attacked by another of his kind, but I can't confirm until I've spoken to Lupin when he wakes up."

"H-he will wake up, r-right?" Harry hated himself for stuttering, and half expected Snape to ridicule him but he was surprisingly calm, speaking slowly and reassuringly.

"He will, Potter. I just need a bit of time to manipulate the right potion. For now, he is comfortable, and warm, and needs to be cleaned. Will you and Draco be able to clean him and bandage him?"

Harry nodded quickly. Anything to be useful.

They made short work of it, and soon, Remus was no longer bloody, and the deep wounds were cleaned as well as they could be and wrapped tightly in bandages. Malfoy healed the minor wounds with a flick of his wand, and now, lying there on the couch, glowing in the light of the fire, Remus's wounds didn't seem so impossible or hopeless. He looked like he was sleeping, a deep, much needed sleep. And maybe, that's what it was.

Harry leaned against Malfoy. "Thank you," he whispered.

Malfoy's arm tightened around him and he didn't try to push it away. He didn't understand what was happening, but right now, he needed it.

"We should eat," Malfoy said, and slid his arm down Harry's until he caught he was able to slide their fingers together. He pulled Harry into the kitchen and sat him down, and then placed a warm bowl in front of him. He sat down beside Harry, dragging his chair close.

Harry ate in small, quick bites, and finished the bowl before Malfoy was done eating. He sighed and leaned against the blond, and Malfoy responded by pulling Harry close and wrapping both arms around him. He smelt like citrus and mint, and like dew and Quidditch gear, and he was warm and solid. His hand rubbed circles on Harry's stomach, and he was drowsy all over again, but a good kind of drowsy.

Snape walked in with a vial in his hand, and cocked an eyebrow at them.

"Maybe you should held Potter to bed, Draco. Shock does horrible things to one's system."

"Yes," he agreed, prying Harry gently off his chest. They walked down the hallway to Harry's room, and Harry laid down on the far side of the bed while Malfoy sat beside him, their legs touching slightly.

"Malfoy," he said slowly.

"Yes?"

"This isn't right, you know."

He frowned. "What isn't?"

"This." Harry waved his hand between them. Malfoy was much too close, and it seemed as if Harry's body was straining to get closer still. "This, whatever this feeling is between us. It's not right. It's just .... stress." 

And then the little Slytherin bastard had the nerve to smirk at Harry. "If it's so wrong, why were you going to kiss me?"

Shit. 

"I don't know," he admitted. "You just ... you were laughing, and your eyes were bright and your face was flushed and you looked kissable."

He leaned closer, his eyes almost silver in the light. "Do I still look kissable?"

Yes. "No."

He smirked again, his face much too close. "Too bad, because you do."

And he leaned down and took possession of Harry's lips. It was sweet and hot at the same time, his lips soft and his breath minty. It was also over too soon. 

Harry must have made a sound when Malfoy pulled away, because the blond raised an eyebrow at him. Damn it, did Slytherins take a course somewhere on how to do the eyebrow thing?

"What's the matter, Potter? Want more?"

Yes, please. "Never," Harry said, crossing his arms. "That was a pathetic excuse for a kiss."

Something flashed, dark and dangerous, and challenging in Malfoy's eyes. "Oh, yeah?" he said, and claimed Harry's soft lips again.

Harry felt like he was melting all over. Every part of his body was on fire. Malfoy's tongue pushed into his mouth, persistent as always, and hot, so damn hot. His teeth grazed the soft skin of Harry's lower lip, and the dark-haired boy made a desperate mewling noise. Harry scraped his teeth gently on his tongue, and the blond slid on top of him, thrusting his hips against Harry's. He ran his hands down his back, pulling him closer.

"Malfoy," his name was almost a squeak.

He stopped what he was doing and looked at Harry with a cocky grin. "Yes?"

"You taste good."

He laughed, and rolled off Harry, and drew him against his chest instead. "So do you, Potter, so do you."

The hardness inside Harry's jeans was going away slowly, and he was glad, because he knew they couldn't take this any further. There was no way they could ever be together, not now, not ever. Even if the threat of Voldemort was to disappear tomorrow, there would still be Ron and Hermione, and Snape, and Lucius, and .... it went on and on.

Harry glanced at Malfoy, who's eyes were closed. He had half a thought to push him off the bed and make him go to his room, but he looked so comfortable, and so was Harry.

Tomorrow, Harry thought sleepily. Tomorrow, they'd go back to how things were before.


	11. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii guys I'm back I'm sorry this took so long to update but bleh my body has shut down and I've been sleeping like 10 hours a day and working the rest of them. It's a good thing I have a few chapters written already for the story. This is more of a fillerish chapter but I like it. Feedback as always is appreciated. Much love xo  
> P.S Sorry for any mistakes, I'm posting this half-asleep because I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer, and therefore didn't edit it as good as usual. Will read it over in the morning, I promise.

Malfoy wasn't in the bed when Harry woke up, and he was glad. He didn't know if he'd be able to face him just yet. He got ready in record time, and then rushed down the hall, passing the kitchen and heading right into the sitting room, where Remus was laying on the newly expanded couch.

He was deathly pale, and his wounds were still bleeding slightly through the bandages. Harry cleaned his hands, and began tending to the wounds and applying fresh, clean bandages. When he was done, he sat beside him, holding a cool hand in his own, and praying to the Muggle God that he'd never believed in that he would wake up soon, and be okay.

He didn't hear Snape come in. He was too busy muttering comforting words below his breath, and trying not to give in to the urge to break things. Anger was the one constant emotion in his life, and the one he turned to the easiest.

"Potter, you should really have some breakfast."

Harry turned to the black eyed professor. "I'm not hungry, sir."

Snape sighed loudly and disappeared down the hallway. A few minutes later, a plate of steaming food was pushed onto Harry's lap, and Snape was kneeling beside him, at Remus's head, tipping a potion down his throat.

Harry ate the food quickly, watching Snape's every move. Years of distrust were hard to let go of, and it was a simple habit to keep an eye on someone one didn't trust.

Snape obviously realized he was being watched, and cocked an eyebrow at Harry. “If I had wanted to harm him, Potter, I could have done something to his Wolfsbane any time over the last three years. You don’t need to be in here, watching my every move.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, and got up. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Potter.”

He half turned, imitating Snape's expression to the best of his abilities.

“Thank you for cleaning his wounds. He will be fine, Potter, rest assured that I will not let him die. The potions I am giving him should wake him within the next 24 hours, and I will alert you the moment that happens.”

He sighed, feeling bad and not really knowing why. “Thank you, Professor, I appreciate it.”

“Oh, and Potter, next weekend, your little friends will be coming here to celebrate your birthday. I’m allowing this only if you make sure that they do not stick their noses into places where they don’t belong, and if you keep them from harming Draco.”

Shit. Ron and Malfoy in the same place? This probably wouldn’t end very well.

“Yes, sir.”

Harry turned and walked away quickly, before Snape could say anything else.

He lingered in his doorway for a minute or two, but it seemed too quiet and lonely. For Merlin’s sake, he was used to spending summers locked in a room, but now, he couldn’t even stomach the idea of his own company for a few hours?

He headed down the hall instead, and knocked on Dr-Malfoy’s door. Malfoy opened it, and smirked at him.

“Missed me, Potter?”

Harry glared at him, and pushed past him into the room. “Git,” he mumbled, and flopped onto his bed, face in the pillows.

The bed dipped as the blond laid down beside him. His hand slid along Harry's back, rubbing softly, and he sighed contentedly. It didn’t even matter right now that it was Malfoy, he needed reassurances that he wasn’t alone, and that life wasn’t hopeless.

Harry rolled over, and stared at Malfoy. His grey eyes met Harry's green ones with a soft gaze, and Harry reached out and smoothed down a errant strand of blond hair.

“When did you get so attractive?” he mumbled, and then flushed as he realized what he said.

Dra-Malfoy just smiled and ran a finger down Harry's cheek. “Third year, I think.”

“Mmmm.” Harry moved closer to him, wrapping his legs around his waist. “It’s kind of too bad no one can know about this. It’d be hilarious seeing the reactions when people found out that we spent the summer with each other.”

“They wouldn't believe it for a second. Unless we went back covered in bruises and scars. Maybe then, they’d believe it.”

It didn't even seem wrong, laying here like this, wrapped around his enemy of the last five years. All their petty fights seemed so meaningless and childish now.

“Oh, hey, Malfoy?”

“Yes, Potter?”

“Not to, um, ruin, whatever this is, but Ron and Hermione are going to be here next weekend for my birthday.”

He stiffened and pulled away from Harry a little bit. “Fantastic,” he muttered. “Just what I need. A weekend of having to deal with the Weasel’s pathetic attempts to hex me and having to watch out for Granger’s iron fist.”

Harry smothered a laugh as he remembered Hermione punching Malfoy in third year. No one would have ever guessed that she had had it in her.

“It’s not funny, Potter,” he mumbled, glowering darkly.

“I won’t let them bother you, okay? Snape would kill me if they did, anyway.”

“I think it’s cute how you’re so scared of my godfather, Potter,” the smug blond smirked, and ran a finger down Harry's chest lightly. “Yet, you’re in here, in a very compromising position with his beloved godson. Don’t you think he’d tear you to pieces if he thought you were trying to seduce me?”

“Probably,” Harry agreed, and made a move to get up. Not because he was scared of Snape, but because this was becoming more than he was ready to handle. But Malfoy stopped him, wrapping his slim fingers around his wrist.

“Don’t go,” he said in mock sadness. “I won’t let him hurt you - after all, I swore to protect you, didn’t I?”

For some reason, the reminder of the vow bothered Harry a lot, and he pulled away anyway, hovering in the doorway.

“I need to polish my broom,” he said, and then flushed when Malfoy started laughing. Out of all the things he could have used as an excuse, and he had to pick that one? Grey eyes were watery with mirth, and he was once again struck with how attractive the blond was when he was flushed and laughing. He could just imagine him flushed for another reason - 

“Fine, Potter, go ahead. If you need any help, you know where to find me.”

Harry glared at him and walked out the the door - right into a wall.

****************************************************************************

Draco sighed as Potter walked out of the room. He couldn’t believe he’d let things get even more complicated. A liaison with the Chosen One was the last thing he needed, yet, it seemed that he was more than willing to let it happen.

It was simple, really. Potter was the first one to show him any positive attention in a long time, and at sixteen, hormones were first in line to take control of his life. It also helped that he was the right gender - Pansy threw herself at him on occasion, but they both knew neither of them were really interested. Nor were his parents interested in marrying him off to a Parkinson - they didn’t enjoy their company, and their position in the world was adequate at best.

No, Draco knew he was interested in males from about the age of ten, just before going to Hogwarts. But he’d pushed it to the back of his mind - He was a Malfoy, he would marry, and produce an heir, and then if he wanted to have male lovers, it would be at his discretion and no one would be the wiser. As long as he was loyal to his family, and loyal to their causes, no one would question his activities. That was just the way it worked in the high-ranking pureblood families. 

But Potter and his damn green eyes complicated things. His innocence, too. Draco was still a virgin, but more by choice than by lack of interest. He figured if he had to have sex with a girl, it might as well be the one he was going to marry. And Merlin forbid trying to have a secret affair with anyone at Hogwarts’ - he'd be outed in an instant, and a total disgrace to his family.

But Potter ... Potter had an almost otherworldly kind of innocence - for someone who’s been touched by death several times already, someone who’s been kept in the dark of life changing secrets about him, someone who’s been abused and tortured, lied to and called a liar, he had an almost childlike innocence and still harboured hope hidden somewhere deep inside him.

He didn’t like to let people get too close to him because he was afraid they were going to die and leave him alone. Draco seen the fear in his eyes last night when the werewolf had shown up, mangled and broken. If he hadn’t been there, Draco was sure he would have bottled up his emotions and put on a brave face in front of Snape.

But he’d let his walls down for just an instant, and it was enough to let him through. Draco didn’t know why he wanted to get through - it wasn’t like he could use any information he might tell him against him, not with the vow.

Then again, maybe that was it. Neither of them would speak of anything that happened this summer - Draco couldn’t, and Ha-Potter wouldn’t, mostly because of Severus, but also because who would believe him? For the first time in his life, Draco had the chance to completely be himself, not be the person his father wanted to be.

And if it meant being friends with Potter, so be it. After this summer, everything would go back to normal. They'd go back to Hogwarts, go back to being enemies, his father would probably be out of prison, Draco would eventually join his father out of loyalty, Potter would continue to fight against Voldemort until he defeated him, and life would go on. 

It was probably just sexual frustration, anyway, Draco decided.

His hands had been sliding down his body on their own, sneaky things, and he decided that maybe he would take a page out of Potter’s book, and polish his 'broom', too.


	12. Gryffindors and Slytherins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you're all getting some loving, or, if not, at least reading some lovely fanfics ;)  
> Second of all, I am so so so sorry that I haven't updated in two weeks. I've been sick for the entire time, first with stomach flu and now with bronchitis, and I am in very rough shape. I haven't even opened my laptop til today. I've been working and sleeping and that's about it. But I am NOT giving up on this story, don't worry. I have a lot written (it needs editing, hence why I hadn't posted, haven't been up to editing til today) so stick around!  
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos and I've passed 3000 hits so that's amazing. You all rock. Here's Chapter 13.

Remus's body was on fire. That was the first thought that ran through his mind. He was burning up, from the inside, and he had to make it stop. He thrashed around, his legs flailing and arms clawing at his chest, wanting to stop the burning pain that was radiating from his very core.

He tried to open his eyes, but they were glued shut, and his throat was dry, and he couldn’t make a single sound. He swung his arms out, needing to find something, anything, that would put him out of his misery. Panic fueled his actions and he wasn’t even aware of how badly he was flailing around, almost throwing himself onto the ground.

His hand finally contacted something solid, and blessedly cool. He latched onto it, and pulled it closer to him. 

Something was being forced down his throat, and he tried to fight it, but he was too weak, and a cold liquid ran down his throat as a cool cloth pushed his hair back from his sweaty face.

The pain eased, and his eyes no longer felt glued shut. He cracked one eye open, and didn’t recognize anything around him. Panic welled up in him again and he gasped for air, trying to call out again but his voice wouldn’t work.

A shadow came into his sight, and he focused his one working eye as much as he could, almost falling off the sofa in shock as he recognized the man standing there.

“S-S-Sev?” he managed to croak out. He couldn’t manage the man’s whole name, and almost hoped that he would put him out of this misery and kill him for calling him a nickname.

Instead, he dropped to his knees beside Remus, black robes billowing around him. “Lupin. You’re at my summer home in Scotland. You’re alive, badly injured but alive. Do not panic, do not touch your wounds, and do not talk yet. Is that clear?” His black eyes drilled into Remus's brown ones, and he tried not to flinch.

Instead, he nodded, and closed his eyes for a second. Severus disappeared briefly and returned with another potion. He helped Remus drink it, and then Remus collapsed onto the pillows again, sapped of all strength.

He tried to remember what had happened prior to waking up here, but all he could recall was a bright light and fangs and Flooing to Hogwarts. Severus must have been there, he realized. But that didn’t explain why he was now in his home.

Remus gave up trying to fight it, and let the sleep take over again. The answers would have to wait.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The second time he woke up, it was to concerned green eyes instead of intense black ones. His throat felt less dry and swollen, so he chanced a word.

“H-Harry?”

“Remus!” The green eyes lit up slightly. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the doorway. “Sir, he’s awake!”

Severus swept into the room, and looked at him with a face devoid of all expression. “Lupin, I see you’ve rejoined the living. How is the pain?”

“Bearable,” Remus croaked. He wanted water, desperately, and Severus must have realized that because his gaze turned to Harry, who scrambled into the kitchen instantly. Not even ten seconds later, a cool glass of water was in his hand and Harry was helping him sit up while Severus stirred a foul smelling potion in a cauldron that he hadn’t noticed earlier.

He drained the water in one gulp.

“How did I get here?”

“I was at Hogwarts with Minevra when you came through the Floo half-dead. Poppy is away and I was left with no choice but to take care of you.” Severus answered as he stirred his potion. He didn’t even look at Remus, and he was left feeling guilty that the grouchy man was stuck with his care. There was no love lost between them.

“Sorry,” Remus muttered. “Next time, I’ll make sure to Floo ahead and make sure you’re not there before I get viciously attacked.”

Black eyes glared at me. “Hilarious, Lupin. Who did this to you?”

Remus's eyes clouded over and he hung his head. "I don't remember," he mumbled, refusing to meet Severus's eyes. He waited for the man to curse at him or ridicule him for his incompetence.

Instead, he just sighed. "You've had quite the shock to the body, Lupin. I assume it is quite normal to have temporary memory loss. I should alert the Order that you have woken. We will figure out who did this to you. And if you remember anything, anything at all, I want to know immediately."

Remus nodded, and Severus prepared to Floo to Hogwarts, presumably.

“Severus?”

“Lupin?”

“Be careful,” he managed weakly. “Order needs you.”

An odd expression graced the man’s face. “I have no intentions of being killed, Lupin.”

Moments after he disappeared, Harry reappeared in the room, dragging Draco Malfoy with him. Remus wanted to smirk at the sight of Draco cowering behind Harry, but he was too tired.

“I need to dress your wounds, Remus,” Harry said softly. “And then you can sleep.”

As the boy he almost considered his own set about changing the bandages, the Malfoy boy hovered beside him, watching his every move with wide grey eyes. Said eyes kept darting towards Remus, but looking away the second it became obvious that Remus was staring back.

It was strange, because Draco and Harry weren’t acting like enemies at all. He knew all about the vow, but that didn’t explain the easy way they worked together, Draco handing Harry the things he needed to clean the angry red marks on before Harry uttered a sound. Also, they kept brushing against each other, slight, fleeting touches, but enough for the wolf in him to pick up on it. He decided not to question anything, not yet.

The blond handed him yet another vial of potion, and as soon as Remus's fingers touched the glass, snatched his hand back.

“Relax, Mr.Malfoy,” Remus said tiredly . “I won’t bite you today, it’s not the full moon.”

The grey eyes widened in fear, and he took a step back. Harry frowned at Remus.

“That’s not funny, Remy,” he said.

He sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. This is just awkward and I can’t deal with awkward. Draco, you have nothing to worry about from me. I would never harm anyone without a damn good reason, and I would rather outright kill someone than stick them with this damn curse.”

“It’s okay,” the blond said in a soft, soothing voice that he’d never heard a Malfoy use before. “This summer is fucked up for all of us.”

He nodded in agreement, and closed his eyes.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Harry sighed in relief as he watched Remus fall asleep. He looked horrible, and obviously needed the rest.

Malfoy was standing close enough to him that he could feel the warmth radiating from his body , so Harry leaned against him.

“How long do you think Snape will be gone for?” he asked him sleepily. Everything was taking a toll on him, and his body was reacting in the only way it knew how - by shutting down.

“A few hours, at least. Go take a nap, Potter, you look like hell right about now. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

Impulsively, he hugged the blond tightly. “Thank you, Draco,” he said, and headed down the hall towards the comfort of his bed.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco sat in the sitting room for a long time, keeping an eye on Lupin and listening closely for any sounds coming from Harry's room - with all that was going on, he wouldn't be surprised if his Gryffindor ended up having nightmares. And he didn't want him to have to face them alone.


	13. Faster and Faster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad for not posting so have another chapter! I am now sapped of all strength and will return to my bed with cute Valentine Drarry stories.

The Order had been shaken by the attack on Lupin, and more than one person had told Severus to be careful.

He'd been a spy for a long time, and he often wished he could give up and officially join the Light side, but he knew it would ultimately be too dangerous for both himself and the rest of the Order. Also, he knew the information he provided the Order was far more valuable than his life. 

He refused to let it bother him that the information he provided was probably the only reason the others were worried about him. The attack on Lupin had been a very clear message, indeed. No one was safe, and security efforts were being doubled from here on out. Order members were no longer allowed out in public alone, and Albus had decided to use Granger’s idea from their little club, the DA. They were each going to be receiving coins as a means of communication. Each coin would also have a location spell, and if they were unresponsive for more than half an hour,they would be located and someone would be sent to make sure they weren’t in need of assistance. It was particularly bothersome for Severus, as it meant he would be using the statis spells on his potions quite often in order to respond, but he understood the need.

It had been four days since Lupin had woke up, and he was improving. He had been hoping to get rid of him soon, but Albus had other plans.

“What do you mean, you want the werewolf to stay with me for the summer?” Severus glared at the bearded old man with fiery black eyes.

“He doesn’t have anywhere else to go, Severus.”

“He can come here! Or stay with one of the other Order members!”

But Albus was shaking his head, and Severus knew his mind was made up. “He needs the Wolfsbane, Severus, and it’s going to be too dangerous for you to deliver it. He has to stay with you until the start of the school term. Maybe then, he can be moved back here. ”

“Fine,” he said, abruptly standing, his dark cloak swirling around him. “But he better stay out of my way or I won’t feel any remorse when I throw him off a cliff.”

He flooed back home before the Headmaster could say another word, or look at him with those damnable twinkling eyes.

The werewolf in question was currently in the kitchen, stirring a pot of soup. Despite Severus's efforts to be silent, Remus heard him come in, and turned to him with a half smile.

“You’re staying here for the rest of the summer,” Severus bit out bitterly, before he could change his mind and throw him out despite orders.

“Wh-what? Why?!” 

It was reassuring knowing that Remus wasn't any more impressed with the plans than he was - maybe, he would actually stay out of the way and let Severus go about business as usual. Maybe he could even entertain Potter and Draco - there was surely something interesting he could show them pertaining to Defence.

“Albus thinks it is necessary, because you need the Wolfsbane potion, and it is no longer safe for me to deliver it to you.” Severus refused to look at the man, afraid he would see the wolf straining to get out.

He expected slamming doors, or cursing, or something, because Lupin had been a Gryffindor and they were notorious for their hotheadedness. Instead, there was nothing, and when Severus chanced a look, he was slouched over the counter, head in his hands. He moved towards him out of instinct, wondering if he was in pain.

He looked up when Severus approached him, and backed away a step. “I’m fine, Severus. And I’m so sorry that you have to deal with me this summer. If I wasn’t such an idiot, none of this would have ever happened.”

“It’s not your fault, Lupin,” Severus said softly. "It could have happened to anyone."

“Yes, it is!” he said hotly, tears stinging his cheeks. “I shouldn’t even be allowed to be a part of the Order. I’m more of a hindrance than anything else, and everyone knows it! Once it’s safe again, I’m going as far away as possible.”

A week ago, Severus would have agreed with him. Encouraged him to leave, even. But now ... they were both on the same side, after all. And if Potter and Draco could put their differences aside for the summer, he could as well. He wouldn’t be bested by children. 

“You are a valued member of the Order, Lupin, and you know it. And you can’t leave. Potter needs you.”

He looked up at the man he'd known since he was 11. “Why are you being nice, Severus?”

Severus shrugged elegantly. “I’m not being nice, Lupin. I’m being an adult.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” he said. "I appreciate everything you're doing, Severus, for me, for Harry, even for Draco. You have a good heart." 

Severus didn't know what to say so he simply nodded, and then waved at the pot on the stove. “If you wouldn’t mind, Lupin, I am starving.”

It was a subdued Severus Snape and Remus Lupin that sat down to eat bowls of steaming chicken soup.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Ron and Hermione were going to be here at this time tomorrow, Harry thought, as he stretched out on the bed. He had mixed feelings about this. He missed his best friends more than anything, but at the same time, it felt like so much had changed in the short time they'd been apart, and he didn't think they'd understand all of it.

He didn't even know if they knew about Remus. Probably. Even though they weren't part of the Order,he knew that Mrs.Weasley wouldn't keep something so important from them. Hopefully having him here would make the weekend easier. 

Draco appeared in the doorway. They'd been avoiding each other these last few days. Or, Harry had been avoiding him, anyway. Remus gave them weird looks every time they were together and he'd decided it would be easier to just ignore the blond. So much for bravery, huh. 

"Potter, uh, I was wondering if you want to go and find Sally?" he asked, looking at the floor. "It's been almost a week since we've seen her, you know."

He debated it for a minute, and then swung his legs over the bed and stood up. He grabbed a thin jacket and moved to stand beside Draco. "Yeah, let's go."

They walked down to the cliffs in silence. It was a dreary day, and colder than usual, and he shivered as he looked around for any signs of the redhead. There was none, but it was still early, and they sat down, legs swinging gently over the side of the cliff. It was a long drop, he mused, to the water, and he shivered slightly again, moving back just a tiny bit.

Draco must have assumed he shivered because he was cold, and he draped an around Harry and pulled him into an embrace. He didn't fight it, and dropped his head onto his shoulder. It was warm and comfortable, but at the same time there a slight sick feeling in his stomach because he knew that they were heading for disaster and even knowing that, he was falling faster, and faster, and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from feeling the way he did. 

Harry could hear the faint beating of Draco's heart and his hand slid up over it, feeling the steady thumping under his palm. His other hand slipped over Draco's and squeezed gently. Neither of them talked, and that was fine with both of them. 

"Draco! Harry!"

They turned just in time to see the flash of red hair heading their way. Sally wandered along the edge of the cliffs, too close for comfort. Harry had a sudden flash of anger towards the child's mother. Who let a child wander around on their own every single day? Sure, she had a babysitter, but it didn't seem like the woman was fit to take care of a young child.

"You shouldn't walk so close to the side," Harry said as she drew closer, before he could stop himself. 

She immediately looked contrite. "Sorry," she mumbled, moving over as she walked towards us.

Harry pulled her into a hug. "I just don't want anything to happen to you," he said tenderly, and she nodded, her eyes dark.

"Are you and Draco friends now?"

Draco slipped an arm around Harry's waist before he could answer. "Yes, we're friends."

She smiled, a blinding smile that made the day seem a thousand times brighter. "Good. You both looked sad and sad people need friends."

Harry's heart broke at her innocent statement. If only life was that easy. And then he thought of Snape, sullen and miserable all the time, and almost laughed at the look he imagined Snape giving Sally if he heard what she just said. But he quickly squashed his negative thoughts towards the professor - he'd been amazingly gentle with Remus, and had constantly reassured Harry that he was going to be okay, that he was cleaning the wounds well, whatever. Harry's attitude towards him was softening, not that he'd ever tell him that.

"We have other friends, they just can't be with us this summer," Harry said. "But we're staying with two other people. One of them is a teacher at Hogwarts." Both would have been if Snape hadn't exposed Remus's secret, he thought darkly, but let it go. Remus seemed to have forgiven Snape, so he guessed he could, too.

"What are their names? What are they like? Are they nice? They have the magic, too, right?" 

Draco laughed and sat down on the grass and motioned for Sally to sit on his lap. "They're both very nice people. Severus is the teacher, and he teaches potions. He's very good at what he does. Remus is a ... friend of his, they used to work together. Now he does very important work but it's a secret."

Harry nodded his approval of Draco's explanations, shaking his head slightly at 'two very nice people'. Snape would be horrified to hear Draco calling him 'nice.' He had a reputation to uphold, afte rall.

"Potions," Sally said, testing the unfamiliar word. "What's that?"

"Something Harry's not very good at," the blond answered, smirking at him. Harry elbowed him in the ribs and stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Potions can be used for anything, from fixing you when you're sick, to making you lucky, to making you do things you wouldn't usually do. You have to mix things together and follow steps and hope you don't blow anything up," Harry said. "Draco's right, though, I'm not very good at it."

"Are you?" she said, turning her wide eyes to Draco.

He nodded. "But Harry's good at other things, like flying, and Defence Against The Dark Arts."

Harry's heart warmed at Draco's praise.

"What's that?"

Harry was slightly uncomfortable, but Draco had the answer.

"Remember when you asked me if magic was bad and I told you it could be? Well, Dark Arts are what the bad magic is called, and in school they teach us what to do if we see bad magic."

"Oh," she nodded. "Okay."

Harry was dying to change the subject now, before she asked any other questions, so he took the game of Exploding Snap out of his pocket and laid it down on the grass. "Wanna learn a wizard game?"

They played until the sun was high in the sky. It had gotten warm enough for them to shed their light jackets by the time they split up to go and have lunch. None of them noticed a pair of eyes watching them from a distance.


	14. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 14 :) I like this chapter quite a bit, personally.  
> Thanks for the comments and kudos, you guys rock! Feedback is always a wonderful thing.  
> Also - for anyone interested, I posted the first two chapters of my second Drarry story. It's called For The Love Of a Child and takes places 10 years after the war and has an adorable Scorpius :) Check it out if you want!  
> xo

Severus felt the burning pain on his forearm even in his deepest sleep, and roused himself quickly. It didn't take long before he was standing beside his so-called friends, eyes downcast, avoiding the eyes of any other Death Eaters. His mind worked rapidly, readying his defences and chaining recent memories into the farthest corners of his mind, the untouchable corner of his mind. It was the first Death Eater meeting since Potter had come to stay with him, and he couldn't afford any slip-ups.

The Dark Lord walked into the room, and Severus dropped to his knees with the others, bowing to their master.

"Severus," he breathed. "How are you?"

"I am fine, Master," he said, nodding his head respectfully. "Recovering from another year of teaching whiny brats."

The Dark Lord laughed, and Severus bit back the bile that rose in his throat.

"And how is young Draco? I daresay you are taking good care of him for Lucius?"

Severus forced a pleasant expression onto his face and projected memories of him and Draco making potions and laughing at first years' scores together. "He is very attentive in the art of Potion Making, my Lord."

He nodded. Severus felt him probe his mind for a few seconds, and then, seeming satisfied, he turned to the rest of his followers.

"Greyback. You had complications with the task I gave you. Why?"

Greyback growled in the back of his throat. "The werewolf freak disappeared! Even half mangled, he managed to Disapparate, my Lord. It was highly unbelievable, and you have my deepest apologies. I should have finished him off right off, but I was hoping to get information from him."

The Dark Lord did not look pleased. "It was not your decision to make. Very well, you will be punished later. So you are sure that the werewolf is alive?"

Werewolf? Severus wondered. Did they mean Lupin? It would make sense, as he had already deducted that only another werewolf could inflict the wounds that Remus had had,

Greyback glared at Severus. "Maybe you should ask your favourite, my Lord," he hissed. "After all, the werewolf is a valued member of his little Order."

"Crucio!" The Dark Lord spat, and Greyback writhed on the floor, moaning painfully for a few seconds. He was released and flew backwards into the wall, his head crunching into the hard cement of the dungeon walls.

"I will not tolerate disrespect, especially from you filth," the Dark Lord seethed. "Severus, have you any information at all on the whereabouts of Remus Lupin?"

Severus inclined his head respectfully. "The werewolf lives. The Order is actively searching for his attacker, and he has been placed in a safe house, presumably the same place where the Potter brat is staying. I fear that the only person who knows the exact whereabouts is Dumbledore himself, and maybe Minevra McGonagall."

"Hmm." The Dark Lord didn't look entirely satisfied, but he didn't comment further. "What about the redheads? They must have some sort of news from the boy."

"We should raid their home," said another Death Eater from the shadows. "If they're hiding information, we can find it."

"Interesting idea," the Dark Lord mused. "It is worth looking into. I will inform you the moment I make a decision."

The Dark Lord vanished, and Severus took his leave within a few minutes, muttering about potions.

Once he was back in the safety of his bed, he let out a deep sigh and wrapped himself in as many blankets as he could. Each meeting was a risk for him. One wrong answer, and he could expose himself, endangering Potter and Lupin and even Draco. Severus shivered and grabbed a text from the side of his bed, knowing there was no way he would get to sleep for a long, long time.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Lupin."

Remus jolted awake from where he must have dozed off on the couch. He'd been doing that for the last week, much to his annoyance. He knew that he needed the rest, but it was annoying to fall asleep everywhere, especially in Severus's house. 

"Severus," he said, meeting the eyes of his former colleague. He was still slightly bitter about the role he'd played in getting him fired, but he'd had a lot of time over the last few years to think about it and let it go. 

"Do you feel well enough to accompany me to Hogwarts tomorrow? I need to collect Weasley and Granger, as well as some supplies, and I know it would help Minerva sleep easier at night if she can see for herself that you are healing and that I have yet to poison you."

His voice was devoid of emotion as always, and Remus wanted to snap at him. He didn't trust the man, despite his crucial role in the Order. He was a guarded person, someone who relied heavily on his abilities to read people, something that was easier with the help of the wolf in him, but he had never been able to read Severus Snape. The only emotion he ever radiated when Remus was around was dislike, and when he wasn't quick enough to mask it, fear.

Remus sighed. Fear was something he was used to, with his condition. Sirius and James had been the only ones who hadn't feared him, even in the days when there was no Wolfsbane to control the wolf.

"I'm surprised Ron and Hermoine are still coming here," he said. "I figured with all the extra security, plans would have changed."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of two more teenagers. If I haven't turned Potter in to the Death Eaters, I highly doubt I'll turn in Granger and Weasley," Severus replied stiffly, and Remus slapped himself mentally. Of course he'd be insulted. Stupid man.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, but he was clearly being ignored now. 

Remus turned and headed into the kitchen. If he wanted to talk, he could come into the kitchen as well. He was hungry. He frowned for a second as he realized Severus hadn't asked for anything in return of him staying here - Remus was going to have to leave him some Galleons, somewhere, somehow. Knowing Severus, he would refuse to take any money from him, but Remus didn't accept charity, either. He had refused to go begging, even at his lowest point, and he'd managed to put enough money away that he could offer Severus something.

It didn't even take two minutes before he followed.

"I know what you meant, Lupin," he said abruptly. He heard the worry buried deep under the monotone of his voice, and Remus felt sorry for him. Severus Snape was a person who'd suppressed his emotions for so long that he didn't even know how to show concern for another human being. The only emotions he knew was indifference, anger, and distrust.

"I think Molly is worried that there is going to be an attack on The Burrow sometime soon," he continued. "She's arranged for the twins and the youngest child to stay with Tonks under the pretense of helping her with an assignment. She doesn't want to worry them."

"Oh," Remus said flatly, because he didn't know what else to say. The Weasley's had become very good friends over the last few years and he didn't even want to think about an attack on their home.

"Granger and Weasley have been told that you are here and warned that they may need to stay here longer because Potter needs the moral support. Obviously a summer spend with his two greatest enemies can't be easy on him," the black haired professor snorted, fixing himself a cup of tea.

Remus frowned at that. "You can't honestly think Harry considers you an enemy?"

He knew that Harry had seen some very unsavoury things when he'd accidentally dived into Severus's memories. Things that showed that Severus as a vulnerable person, things that showed James, Sirius, and Remus himself in a different light. And he'd found out that Snape had, at one point in time, cared deeply for his mother. Remus had wanted to talk to Harry about it, but he hadn't been able to yet.

"I don't particularly care what Potter thinks," he said, but Remus didn't believe it.

"What time do we need to leave in the morning?" he asked coolly, changing the subject before he strangled the stupid, stubborn man standing in front of him.

"Be ready for 8," he said, and swept past him down the hall.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Remus!" Minerva launced herself at Remus the second he stumbled through the Floo. She hugged him gently, as if afraid he would break.

"I'm fine, Minnie," Remus assured her lightly. 

Severus stepped out a second later, and much to Remus's surprise, she launched herself at him too, wrapping him in her arms before he had a chance to step away. He stiffened, but then hugged her back gently for brief second before moving back gently.

"You're overwhelmed, Minerva," he said softly. "Have you been taking the Calming Draughts I left you?"

She nodded. "I'm just so happy to see you both. Remus, you look so much better. Severus has really done a great job."

Remus nodded, and stared at Severus, who actually flushed slightly.

"Actually, Potter and Draco have been doing a lot of the work. Changing the bandages and cleaning the wounds and -"

"And none of that would been necessary if I hadn't woken up," Remus cut in. "Which I only did because of your potions. Take credit when it's due, Severus, it won't kill you."

He just glared at him and didn't say another word but Remus was satisfied. 

"Minevra, I'm afraid I have bad news," Severus said suddenly. "Last night, at the meeting - they confirmed a list of places that the Death Eaters will be attacking in the next week. Most are Muggle places, places that will inflict panic in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, but there are also a few wizarding places and The Burrow is indeed one of them."

Minerva looked almost distraught for a second but composed herself rather quickly. "Very well, we expected as much. I will Floo to The Burrow now to collect the children and I will warn Molly and Arthur."

She disappeared into the flames, leaving Remus and Severus alone.

"I didn't even realize you'd been summoned recently," Remus said absently, imagining the burning pain of the Dark Mark. He wondered how bad the pain was, compared to that of the change. Although the pain of the change was lessened considerably with the Wolfsbane... it was still hell on the body and he felt older than he was. With the way he felt, he'd be lucky to make it another decade before his body gave out on him. Especially since he'd yet to find his mate ...

Severus had said something and was looking at him. He shook himself out of those deep, dark corners of his mind that he usually avoided, and stared at the other man apologetically.

Severus just sighed, looking distracted. "As of late, the meetings take place in the dead of the night. That is when he is strongest, and it is also easier to remain above suspicion. With Lucius and Bellatrix locked up, he is hesitant to put his other servants at risk right now. He still needs them too badly."

Remus nodded slowly. It made sense. "Severus ... if ever you want to talk afterward, you can come to me, you know? We are on the same side, after all."

He expected a nasty reply, but Severus just nodded and looked distracted. Remus realized he was looking at a calendar on the desk.

"The full moon is in four days," the werewolf realized out loud. "Severus, I'm sure Minevra or Albus can make arrangements if you don't feel comfortable -"

He cut Remus off abruptly. "I have complete confidence in my potions, Lupin. And furthermore, it's not like it would not be the first I've seen you in your wolf form. Without a potion, I might add."

Remus didn't know which time he was referring to, but he burned with shame from both. He turned away and stared at the window at the Hogwarts grounds'. His eyes found the Whomping Willow quickly, and he made his mind go blank before it could dwell on memories from those times.

Severus moved to stand beside him. "I know it wasn't your fault, Lupin," he said slowly. "I've always known, but I didn't have it in to accept what you were saying."

"They didn't want to kill you, you know," Remus said softly. "They just wanted to scare you. They knew you were fascinated with the Dark Arts and figured they'd show you just how dark they could be."

"And instead, they drove me right into the arms of people like Lucius Malfoy," he sneered bitterly. "I know your little friends didn't want to kill me, Lupin. But that doesn't mean I ever forgave them for almost killing me anyway."

"And me?" He needed to know.

Black eyes found brown ones, and for the first time in a long time, Remus sensed another emotion fighting to surface from under the mask: vulnerability. "I don't know, Lupin. I just don't know how to feel about you."

"We've both made mistakes, Sev."

He bristled. "Don't call me that. And don't remind me of my mistakes."

He stalked to the other side of the room and pretended to be interested in something on the windowsill.

Remus ran a hand through his hair and glared at the grounds. He would never be able to trust Severus because he'd never be able to get him to open up to him at all. He would take screaming and yelling and painful accustations and reliving painful memories over the silence that the damnable man preferred. There were so many half truths and unfinished parts of history hanging over their heads. He wanted to make peace with this man, the way that Sirius and James had never had the chance to do.

But he couldn't even call him by his first name, damn him! 

The fire roared to life and Ron Weasley stumbled out first, followed a second later by Hermione Granger.

Remus hugged them both, ignoring Severus completely.

"Professor McGonagall will be back in a minute," Hermione said as she hugged him tightly. "Order business. How ARE you, Remus?"

"Better now," he mused. "I'm lucky to be alive." 

"How's Harry?" Ron asked. "It must have been hard on him to see you like that."

"He's okay," Remus assured him. "You'll see when you see him."

Severus had came back to our side of the room by then. "Potter is anxious to see the two of you," he sneered. Even that simple sentence was cold and unfeeling, and Remus shook his head in frustration. Would a tiny bit of warmth really kill him?

"You're going to have a great time," Remus said cheerily, and was met with twin looks of disbelief. "Professor Snape lives near the cliffs and Harry and Draco spend a lot of time exploring -"

"You mean he actually spends time with Malfoy?!" Ron gasped. He turned to glare at his Potions' Professor. "Are you making him?"

"I assure you I am not making Potter do anything he doesn't want to," he drawled. "You can ask him yourself."

Ron crossed him arms and glared, but didn't say anything. He probably assumed that Severus would send them back to The Burrow if he didn't bite his lip. Remus swallowed a wave of sadness at the thought that he might not be going back to The Burrow at all. Hermione just stood protectively with a hand on Ron's arm and avoided staring at her professor at all costs.

Remus shook his head at the obvious tension between Severus and his students. Merlin, it was summer! Couldn't they leave the classroom problems behind?

"So, what did you get Harry for his birthday?" he quipped, trying to change the subject and dispel the tension that was building. It worked, and Hermione rattled on about books and Ron talked about quidditch equipment and sweets and products from the joke shop that Fred and George were in the process of opening.

The minutes dragged on and finally Minerva came back through the Floo, holding a shrunken box and a broom.

"Miss Granger, if you be so kind as to take this box? It's the rest of Mr.Potter's presents from the Order Members and other friends. And Mr.Weasley, this is yours, I believe."

Ron looked at his broom in disbelief. "Why would I need this?"

Severus spoke up. "There is a patch of land roughly the size of a Quidditch pitch in which you are permitted to fly. Respect the perimeters, and you have my permission to do whatever you wish as long as you don't injure yourself or anyone else."

Surprise coloured the redhead's face. "Oh. Um, thanks."

Severus nodded and turned to Remus. "Ready, Lupin?"

He said his goodbyes to Minnie quickly and motioned to Hermione. "Ladies first," he said, and then with a quick toss of powder, they were on their way back to what he'd taken to fondly calling 'the cliffs'.


	15. Friends and Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features a more 'human' side of Snape. It may seem slighty OOC ... I'm not really sure. I wrote it the way that felt right to me. I hope you'll enjoy.

Harry was in the kitchen when he heard the sounds of people coming through the Floo. He ran into the living room and almost tackled Hermione.

"'Mione!"

"Oh, Harry," she said, and squeezed him half to death. "I missed you so much!"

Ron came through next, and hugged his best friend just as hard. "Glad to see you, mate," he said roughly. "How have things been?"

Before he could even answer, Remus came through, followed by Snape. The two adults looked at the three teens for a long minute, and then Remus excused himself, saying that he was tired and needed to rest.

"Where's Draco, Potter?" Snape asked Harry quietly.

"He's in his room, sir. He said he wanted to give me some time with my friends and that he'd join us for dinner later."

Snape nodded. "Very well. I will leave you with your friends, as well. But don't forget, Potter, that they aren't the only ones who need your attention these days. Others may need your attention even more."

Harry didn't know if he was talking about Draco or Sally. Sally knew it was Harry's birthday today, but wanted him to come to the cliffs tomorrow because she wanted to meet his friends and give him a present that she made for his birthday. They'd seen her a lot in the last few days. And Draco .... he'd seemed so fragile lately. He guessed nothing was making any sense to him. To go from basically a Death Eater, to making out with the Chosen One? Yeah, it didn't make sense to Harry either.

But he nodded nonetheless, and Snape glided to the doorway. At the last second, he turned to Harry. "Oh, and Potter? Happy birthday."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said quietly, and he disappeared, closing the door behind him.

Hermione and Ron looked at him for a minute, and then the three of them started talking at once.

"How's everyone at the Burrow?"

"Snape doesn't seem that awful right now!"

"Does he give you any information or does he keep everything a secret too?"

"How awful has Malfoy been?"

"Did your mum pack me any sweets?"

They all stopped talking at almost the same time, and started laughing. They laughed until they were all rolling on the floor, tears streaming down their faces.

"Gods, I've missed you guys," Harry admitted loudly. "This summer has been very, very weird, but not that bad. Snape mostly keeps to himself unless we're eating or something, and well he did give me and Draco detention -"

"Detention?! In the SUMMER? What did you do?" This was from Hermione.

"Draco? Since when do you call him Draco?" This from Ron, who looked like he was going to be sick.

"Er," Harry rubbed his thigh absently. "We got into a fist fight so Snape made us wash these horrible cauldrons that must have been in his basement for YEARS, and well, we reached a truce after, I guess."

"You still don't have to call him Draco, do you?" Ron pleaded with him, and he just shrugged.

Hermione lowered her voice. "Is it true that Snape made him take an Unbreakable Vow? We uh, overheard Ron's parents talking about it." She flushed slightly, and he laughed silently, knowing they must have been eavesdropping.

"Yeah," Harry confirme. "It was pretty serious."

"Malfoy must be pissed," Ron said. "All of these Death Eaters scouring the country looking for you, and he can't hand you over and claim his prize because he's stuck with the one Death Eater who's stuck protecting you."

Harry felt slightly sick, and he didn't know if it was from the reminder that Snape was a Death Eater, or from the implication that Draco was one.

"I don't think he wants to hand me over," he mumbled, and Ron just stared at him like he'd just gotten hit in the head with a bludger.

"Of course he does, mate, you got his father locked up in Azkaban!"

Harry changed the subject quickly. "Yeah, about that, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten out yet. Has your dad said anything about him? What's the Ministry saying? I know the Aurors, at least, were starting to come around thanks to Tonks...."

His friends eagerly switched topics and told him everything they knew. He basked in their company, but he also kept glancing at the door, wishing Draco would come barging in.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco knocked on Severus's door hesitantly. He'd heard him as he walked down the hallway, and listening carefully, had deducted that he'd gone to his bedroom, and not his Potion's lab, where he spent a lot of his time.

"Enter," he said, and Draco heard the magical lock click open.

He pushed open the door slightly, and stepped in. He'd never been in his godfather's personal rooms before, and didn't know what to expect.

His eyes focused on Sev right off, sitting at a black desk, scribbling something with a dark green quill. Draco edged over quietly, and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to finish whatever it was he was doing.

After a few minutes, he turned to him. "Can I help you with something, Draco?"

He debated making something up in case he tried kicking him out, but then he just gave in and shook his head. "No, I just .... I don't know," he finished lamely.

Severus stared at his godson for a minute, and then sat on the bed beside him. "Feeling left out now that Granger and Weasley are here?"

That was exactly it, but Draco was surprised that he had gotten it so fast.

He smirked at him for a few seconds. "Do you think I'm blind, Draco? I know that things between you and Potter have changed."

"And you don't approve," Draco said softly. "I expected as much."

He made a move to get up but Severus laid a hand on his arm and gripped it firmly. When he sank back onto the mattress, he placed a hand under Draco's chin and tilted his face so he was left with no choice but to meet his eyes.

"Draco, I can't believe I even have to say this to you. I am not your father. You do not live to please me. Whether or not I approve shouldn't be an issue to you. But since it appears to be such an issue to you, it is not that I don't approve of your new 'friendship' with Potter. I am just worried. After this summer is over, you won't be in my protection any more."

Draco heard the emphasis on the word friendship and realized he could never underestimate his godfather again.

"What's going to happen when I go back?"

"I'm hoping to arrange it so you may return to Hogwarts directly from here, but failing that, I am going to plant fake memories in your mind. That way, if anyone attempts to use Legilimency on you, they will simply see boring memories from this summer and thoughts of how eager you are to please the Dark Lord. Since they have no reason to doubt you, or me, they will have no reason to dig any deeper. I doubt they will even try at all, but it is a risk I'd rather not take. I assume you'd rather not be Obliviated?"

He shook his head quickly.

"It's not going to be easy when you go back, Draco. You know that within the next year, your father will be expecting certain things from you?"

Draco's eyes travelled to his forearm, and he gulped. The Dark Mark.

"What if I don't want it?" he asked softly. Six months ago, it would never had occurred to him that he even had a choice, but now, he felt like he did.

"I will do anything in my power to help you, Draco, but it will not be easy."

"You'd risk your life to help me?" 

"Yes," Severus said, looking at the blond with pride. "I do not want you making the same mistakes I did because you feel like you have no other choice. There is always a choice, Draco. I just wish someone had made that clear to me 20 years ago."

Draco's eyes watered. "T-thank you," he said, and then lowered his head before he could see the tears fall.

He couldn't fool Severus, though, and was surprised to feel the older man wrap his arms around him. He buried his face in the black robes and let years of emotion pour out of him. Sev rubbed his back soothingly, and Draco felt like a small child again. He wondered what it would have been like, growing up with Severus as his father instead. Maybe they would have taught each other how to love, instead of being these shallow, lovelorn beings. 

"I love you, Sev, " he said , not even caring what he would think.

It was quiet for a minute, and Draco heard him whisper it. "I love you too, Draco."

He was finally calm enough to pull away. "I guess the first step would be getting Granger and Weasley to trust me. If I have the Golden trio on my side, becoming part of the Light side will be easier," he said. 

Severus nodded, but Draco could tell he was still distracted.

"I'll be careful, Sev," he promised. "But you need to be careful, too. I don't want you to die for me."

"If it came to that, Draco, I would die for you in a heartbeat."

"What about Harry?" He didn't know why he asked, but for some reason, the answer was important to him.

He didn't even hesitate. "I'd die for him, as well."

He had thought as much. He hugged his godfather again, and then walked to the door. "Supper is at 7," he reminded him. "And don't forget to bring your present."

He glared at him like the present he'd gotten for Harry was supposed to be some big secret, and then shooed him out the door.

Draco walked out the door and walked straight into the werewolf. His eyes were wide and he realized that he'd probably heard a lot of the conversation with Severus. He whirled around and walked down the hall to what Draco presumed was his room. He debated a second, and then followed him.

He walked in without even knocking. "How much of that did you hear?" he demanded.

He didn't even try to deny it. "Enough," he said softly.

"Are you satisfied now? Enough proof that he's really on our side and that he cares about Harry in his own way?"

The older man had the nerve to smile. "I've never doubted that he was on our side, or that he would do anything to protect Harry. He put himself in harms way in third year to save Harry, Hermione, and Ron when I neglected to take the Wolfsbane potion. And I know he'd do it again."

"Why didn't you take the potion?"

He was silent, and Draco remembered all the fuss about Harry's godfather Sirius Black in third year. "Because of Black, right?"

He simply nodded.

"He was that important to you that you'd risk your secret getting out to save him?"

He nodded again. "I loved him like a brother, and would have done anything to save him. Much like you and Severus, I guess."

Draco actually felt a deep sympathy for the werewolf then,imagining losing Severus and shuddering. "I'm sorry he's gone," he said softly. "He was lucky to have you."

"You're a good person," he said slowly. "Severus is lucky to have you in his life, and so is Harry."

Draco, startled for the second time in a day, started to speak, but Remus held up a hand. 

"I've known since the first time I saw you two together," he said. "Wolf's instincts are stronger than anything else, and it was easy to read the two of you. I didn't say anything because it wasn't my place to, and I trust Harry's judgement. And the last thing I needed to do was to wrongly judge someone and be the reason they turned to the Dark Side."

There was an unspoken 'again' in his sentence and Draco decided to press on. He was nosy by nature but this went even deeper than that.

"You mean Severus, don't you?"

He looked pained, and then nodded. "He probably won't like me telling you this, but here goes nothing. I almost killed your godfather when we were in sixth year."


	16. In the Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that's its been two weeks since I updated whereas it is usually one. But these last two weeks have honestly been horrible - my best friend's mom passed away, my cousin got diagnosed with epilepsy, my supposed 'future roommate' bailed on me, and I've had to work crazy hours. Bleh.   
> Anyway, better late than never. This is really just a short fillerish chapter but I'll probably ((no promises because tomorrow's Monday aka my day off work but I always seem to be getting called in -.-)) post the following chapter tomorrow. As always, feedback is great! Reading your comments always gets me through the shitty days and makes the good days even better. Love always <3  
> Also, shameless self promotion: check out my other Drarry story plwwwweaasseee :)

Hogwarts, 1976

_"Snivellus."_

_Snape looked around and saw none other than Sirius Black lounging on the wall by the Slytherin common room._

_"What do you want, Black?" he snarled, drawing his robes tightly around his body._

_"Why have you been watching Remus so closely? I know you're a raging homo, but you're not his type. He likes his boyfriends a little more clean and a little less dark."_

_Black eyes bore holes into brown ones. "I am not interested in your stupid friend, Black. I only watch him because I'm the only student who knows what he is."_

_Black scoffed at him. "As if you're smart enough to figure out what he is, half-blood."_

_Snape glared at the boy he hated. "He disappears right around the full moon, his eyes turn almost yellow when he's angry, and you and Potter seem to work really hard to make sure no one looks too closely at him."_

_"Sounds to me like you're stalking him, Snape," Sirius said, and grinned. "Little Snape's got a crush on Moony -"_

_"Why do you call him Moony, then?"_

_Sirius paled just a little. "It's just a nickname."_

_Snape glared. "Whatever, Black. I have better things to do than talk to you."_

_He disappeared with a blur of black robes._

_*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*_

_Three days later, at almost dusk, Sirius Black showed up beside the Slytherin dormitories again._

_"Snape."_

_No answer._

_"Snape, I saw you go around the corner. Listen to me. Since you think you're so smart and you've got it all figured out, why don't you follow Remus down to the Shrieking Shack tonight? You can confess your undying love and maybe when he rejects you you can finally leave him alone."_

_Snape peered around the corner. "How do I get to the Shrieking Shack?"_

_"Meet me tonight at midnight, and I'll show you."_

_*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*_

_At midnight, Snape was peering around every corner as he hurried to meet Black in the Entrance hall. He was a prefect and could get away with being out this late, but he didn't feel like having to deal with any of the teachers tonight._

_Tonight was finally the night that he was going to get to expose the werewolf for what he was._

_"Psssttt."_

_Snape whirled around to find Black grinning at him."Scared, Snivellus?"_

_Snape scoffed at him. "Whatever, Black. Let's go."_

_They hurried out the door quietly and made their way across the lawn to the Whomping Willow. Snape glared at the tree._

_"Is this some kind of joke, Black?"_

_"Watch and learn, Snape." Sirius jumped at the tree, and rolled under an offending branch and watched as the base of the tree opened, revealing a tunnel that lead into darkness. Snape seemed hesitant._

_"Your passage to the Shrieking Shack, Severus," Black said with exaggeration._

_"Are you sure about this?"_

_"Scared?"_

_Snape snarled at him, and then turned and walked into the tunnel. The blackness engulfed him, and he lit his wand with a Lumos._

_It was chilly in the tunnel, and Snape had a bad feeling about this, but he continued anyway. He made his way down, down, down, and finally came to a door. He put a hand on the doorknob and -_

_Out of nowhere, James Potter tackled him to the ground._

_"Snape, do not open that door! You don't want to know what's behind there!"_

_"I already know, Potter. Your friend is a werewolf. And I want to see."_

_Snape reached up to grasp the doorknob again, opening it a mere inch. Blood red eyes met his black ones. A snout pushed the door open, and Snape froze as the sheer size of the beast in front of him became evident. The beast was horrible and hairy, eyes glowing and teeth glistening. The nose sniffed the air, and it took a step towards him._

_"Run, Snape, NOW," Potter said, and pushed him viciously down the hall._

_Snape ran, but stumbled on the slippery passage and slipped. He heard the beast advancing on him, and then suddenly, it stopped._

_He ran until he reached the base of the Whomping Willow. Black was standing there, his eyes wide._

_"Snape -"_

_"You wanted to kill me," he panted. "You wanted him to kill me!"_

_"No," Sirius said frantically, "it was just a joke, I didn't think you'd go and then you did -"_

_"I hate you, Sirius Black."_

_"You can't tell anyone," he pleaded frantically. "It'll ruin him. Please."_

_"I won't tell anyone, Black, but I will never, ever forgive you as long as I live. And I'll never forgive Lupin, either. He's a freak! A monster! He deserves to be in a cage! He doesn't deserve to be a wizard!"_

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco looked at Lupin with wide eyes.

He was staring off into space now that he'd finished telling his tale, and it didn't take a mind reader to know what he was thinking.

"It wasn't your fault, Remus," Draco said softly. "And I'm sure Severus didn't mean any of those things."

"Oh, he did, but I don't blame him," Lupin replied. "It's true. Like it or not, I am a monster."

"It's not your fault! You didn't ask for it! And you're doing your best!" Draco snapped. "People like Voldemort are the monsters! He WANTS this. He wants to be a freak. He wants to kill people. I hate him!"

And then Draco realized what he had just said and dropped to his knees. "Oh, gods. I'm not on his side. I don't want to be on his side."

Lupin sat beside the Malfoy child and draped an arm around him. "I didn't think you did. You're a lot like Severus, Draco. You're being forced into something you don't want."

"He wasn't forced, though, not really."

"I consider it force. He didn't want it, not really, not deep down. And by the time he realized it, it was too late. I hope that it won't be too late for you."

"It won't be!" Draco said hotly. "I won't let it be!"

"It's not going to be easy, Draco, but if I can help you, I will." His words echoed Severus's and Draco realized they were more alike than they realized.

"Thank you," he said, head bowed. "May I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"Why do you stick up for Severus so much? Shouldn't you hate him, too?"

"Hate's a waste of energy," he said slowly. "I've never hated him. I've always respected him, even when he joined the Death Eaters. Because he went from being pushed around and kicked when he was down to being an extremely powerful wizard - yes, maybe not in the right way, not at first, but he's more than made up for his mistakes. I didn't trust having Harry here, with him, because of how much he hated James and Sirius - but Harry's no more his father than you are yours, and I think he's starting to realize that."

Draco simply nodded. "I'm glad you told me. Thank you for trusting me."

He grinned then. "You're not bad, for a Malfoy."

"And you're not bad, for a werewolf."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco closed the door to his room and headed down the hallway to the sitting room. He heard the laughter already, and almost turned around, but then he sighed and kept going. Now or never.

He stopped in the doorway, and waited.

After a minute, Weasley was the first one to look up.

"Harry, there's some scum hanging around in the doorway."

He looked up, and then narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Ron, shut up. I told you, I'm not going to put up with any fighting, and neither will Snape, you know that. Draco, come sit down."

"I don't want to catch any Weasley diseases. Having red hair and a lot of children doesn't interest me. I think I'll just stand here."

Weasley jumped to his feet, swinging an arm, and Harry held him back while glaring at Draco.

"Seriously, Malfoy, that wasn't necessary," he snapped, and Draco felt a little bad. Harry had called him Malfoy, so he was mad.

"He started it," Draco muttered. "I'll just go."

"You WILL not," Harry growled . "It's my birthday, and I want the two of you to get along for at least a few hours. I don't even care if you glare at each other the entire time, you're not going to insult each other or I'm going to spend the rest of my birthday in my room with Hedwig and you both can go shove it."

" 'm sorry," Draco mumbled, and walked over and sat down beside him. He ignored Weasley, but turned to Granger and nodded his head at her.

"Granger."

"Malfoy," she said, looking at him with open distrust, but she'd acknowledged him and it was a start.

"How has your summer been?" he asked her politely.

"Fine, and yours?"

"Fine," he replied. "We've been exploring the cliffs."

"And helping Snape with potions, I heard," Weasley said. "Cheat."

"RON!" Harry cried. "Shut up!"

Draco stared at the Weasel. "Not that it should make a difference to you, but I'm making Potions with Severus that we won't cover in sixth or seventh year. They're apprentice level potions. I'm not going to be at any advantage at all, Weasley. Besides, I didn't even think you were taking Potions next year?"

He glared at the floor. "Hope I can," he mumbled. "Wanna be an Auror."

"I could help you," Draco found himself suggesting, and the redhead gaped at him.

"As if, Malfoy," he said finally. "You'd poison me."

Harry looked like he was going to say something but Draco silenced him with a look. "Have it your way, but remember if you change your mind, the offer is there."

"We know about the vow, Malfoy. After the summer, you're going to go back to being a little Death Eater in training and we'll keep trying to save the world from people like you." Ron bit out bitterly. 

He ignored the painful jab and rose gracefully to his feet; Malfoys were nothing if not well-mannered. "Would anyone like a drink before I prepare dinner?"

Granger stared like Draco had grown two heads, and Weasley turned to Harry.

"You let HIM cook?!"

Draco wisely walked out and cast a quick silencing charm before he could hear Harry explode yet again.


	17. Best Birthday Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favourite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so nervous posting this chapter for many reasons. I don't want to ruin anything for you but gahhhhh nerves. I've gone over this chapter a thousand times and I'm still not satisfied but here we go anyway. It's the longest chapter yet, too. It would have been up earlier, but nerves aside, my life basically fell apart and I ended up having to move out of where I was living and move in with a friend because of a domestic violence dispute with my roommates and yeah. Shitty shit shit. I'm glad I'm up to chapter 24 on this fic so even if I slack off for the next week or two I still have stuff to post.  
> Anyway enough of my life, back to the fic, I really hope you guys like this chapter and lots of comments would be appreciated <3

Dinner was a tense affair.

Draco had made Harry's favourite foods, and despite the eager way that Remus, Severus, and Harry tucked into the food, Hermione and Ron glared at it like he expected it to grow legs and stand up and start hexing them.

After the food, Ron and Hermione brought out a cake that Harry recognized as Mrs.Weasley's signature birthday cake.

Nobody made a move to sing, and that was fine with Harry. The cake was good, but he ate it with a heavy heart. Draco made a big show of taking two pieces, but the moment it became evident that he was being ignored by the other two, he simply pushed the cake around on his plate and stared longingly at Harry.

Harry wanted nothing more than to get up and hug him, but he couldn't. Ron and Hermione didn't even accept his tentative friendship with the blond. They'd never accept anything more.

Harry stood up after the meal and started gathering the dishes, and Hermione looked at him with a horrified glance.

"It's your birthday, Harry, they can hardly expect you to clean up after them!"

"I don't expect Mr.Potter to do anything, Miss Granger," Snape said icily. "He chooses to clean up because he is respectful and wishes to help." He glared at her for a second while Harry's jaw almost dropped at the unexpected compliment. 

"But it's his birthday! We can clean up," she pleaded.

"Nonsense, you are guests," he said. "Lupin, would you mind?"

"Of course not, Severus," he said graciously. He rose to his feet and started collecting the dishes. "Normally, we do the dishes without magic, but as Hermione keeps reminding us, it's Harry's birthday and he must be eager to have his presents, so I think we can cheat for once."

He piled all the dishes in the sink and waved his wand, and the dishes started cleaning themselves. It was a spell Harry had seen many times at the Weasleys, but it always fascinated him.

Snape simply raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Very well. Accio Potter's presents."

A pile of presents appeared in front of Harry. There were more than he expected, and he smiled brightly. 

He opened them quickly. He'd gotten a lot of Quidditch stuff, sweets, and books from members of the Order. Dumbledore sent him, not surprisingly, socks. Hermione also got him books. Pleasantly interesting books, this time. And Ron had gotten him a charmed, miniature Quidditch pitch. The Cannons, their favourite team. The players flew around excitedly, grinning at him, and the Seeker made a show of impressive dives to catch the Snitch. Remus had gotten him a beautiful charm in the shape of a black dog. Harry teared up when he saw it, but hugged him tightly nonetheless.

The last two presents were from Draco and Snape. Harry wondered what they were. He hadn't even expected to get anything from them.

He opened Draco's first. It was a small white box, and he opened it slowly. A snitch flew out at him, buzzing excitedly. There was a small inscription on it. He reached for it a few times and it danced just out of his reach before finally letting itself be caught. The inscription read _Harry James Potter, youngest Seeker of the century_. 

"Thanks, Dray," he whispered softly, smiling sweetly, and placed it back in the box. Hermione and Ron were looking at him strangely, but he ignored them and reached for Snape's package.

Harry glanced at the man in question, wondering if anything in his gaze would give a hint as to what he'd gotten him, but he was busy staring at the table instead.

It was a very small package, and Harry opened it quickly. Inside was a tiny bottle, containing a golden liquid.

Hermione gasped as he held it up. 

"It's Felix Felicis!"

Snape smirked at her. "Well done, Miss Granger."

"Isn't that liquid luck?" Harry asked. He'd read about it not long ago, in a book Snape had left laying around. Snape nodded at him, looking surprised.

"Not that I think you need it, Potter, but I want you to have it anyway. In the direst of situations, it could help you survive."

Harry was honestly shocked, both by the backhanded compliment and the unexpectedly generous gift.

"I also have something else for you, Potter," he said, and disappeared down the hall. 

He returned but a minute later, clutching something in his hands. He put in on the table in front of Harry, and Harry just stared at it. It was a book, called the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He'd heard of this book before - he'd even snuck it out of the library to try and read it, but Dudley had told on him and they'd taken it back to the school.

He looked up at Snape, surprised yet again.

"It was your mother's," he said softly. "She gave it me in our first year."

Harry gingerly opened the cover, and sure enough, in beautiful letters, there was an inscription.

_Severus,_  
You try and deny it every time, but I know you love this book. You don't have to completely reject your Muggle heritage to be a powerful wizard, you know.You're already my favourite wizard and nothing will change that. Please cherish this.  
Always,  
Lily. 

 

The Gryffindor looked up, and his green eyes were watery. He looked at Snape, and then back down at the book, and then fled the room.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Well, that went well, Severus thought darkly. He heard the slam of a door and sighed, barely resisting the urge to bang his head on the wall.

Weasley glared at him from the other side of the table. Granger, on the other hand, looked intrigued, and Severus was amazed she was able to keep her hands off the book.

"You just had to go and upset you, didn't you?" Weasley said, glaring at his professor. 

"Believe it or not, Weasley, that wasn't my intention," Severus said tightly, resisting the urge to glare back at the redhead.

"Doesn't make a difference! You upset him anyway and now he's gone and locked himself in his room for Merlin knows how long!"

"I will go speak with him, Weasley," Severus decided, rising to his feet. "I assure you I won't do him any harm."

"Doesn't matter," he spat. "He's not going to want to talk to you. He probably figures you'd yell at him for being weak or something. He doesn't like you, Professor, isn't that obvious? I don't even know why he's here!"

"Maybe because he poses a threat for you and your family's safety! Maybe because, despite his lack of presence in your home, it is going to be attacked in a matter of hours!" Severus snapped, losing his cool once and for all.

The boy's face went white and he almost groaned, and sat back down.

"You're lying," he hissed furiously. "Y-you're just saying that because you're mad at me."

"I wish that was the case, Weasley. It is in fact, quite true. Be glad I was able to warn your family within adequate time. No one will be home when the Death Eaters attack." 

"Won't that make them more angry?" Granger asked, leaning against Weasley. He slipped an arm around her and took her hand in his, comforting him without words.

"Perhaps. It is a risk we must take."

"W-what will happen to my house?" Weasley said, meeting Severus's eyes for the first time. He felt a flash of sympathy for the arrogant child - after all, he was just that, still a child.

"I cannot be sure," he said. "They could equally trash it, as much as they could burn it down."

He dropped his head on his arms and Severus stood up and walked over to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up quickly, eyes wide.

"Believe me, Weasley, when I say that I wish there was something I could do. All you can do is use some of that Gryffindor courage to put on a brave face, and be thankful your family will be all right."

He nodded sharply, despite the slight watering of his blue eyes. "I think I'm going to go to bed, sir," he said slowly. "Tell Harry I said goodnight." 

Severus left the room gracefully as always, but with a heavy heart. 

He knocked on Potter's door, and pushed it open without waiting for an answer. He was laying facedown on his bed, but making no noise.

"Potter."

"Go 'way, P'ffesor," he mumbled. "Don't wanna talk."

He sighed for the thousandth time that night. "Potter. Please."

He lifted his head to look at his professor. "I'm fine. I just want to be alone."

"If you don't want the book, I can take it back," Severus said. "I just thought -"

"I want it!" he said, sitting up sharply. "I just didn't think it'd hurt so badly! I don't have a lot of things from my parents."

"I know," he said roughly. "That's why I wanted you to have the book."

"But why, Professor? You loved my mother, shouldn't you want to have things from her too?"

"I do, Potter. I have a few other things. But I thought the book would be something you would enjoy, and I want you to have it. Your mother would be happy for you to have a copy of her favourite book."

He didn't reply, and Severus stood there in silence for a few minutes. He was getting a cramp in his back, and finally sank onto the bed beside the boy. He studied him for a few minutes. It was hard to believe that this was the boy who was supposed to defeat the Dark Lord and save the Wizarding World. He didn't even look sixteen!

"I tried to read that book a long time ago, but they wouldn't let me, you know," he said suddenly. There was no need for him to say who 'they' were. "They didn't approve of me reading 'nonsense'. I was only allowed my schoolbooks."

Severus wanted to throttle those Muggles within an inch of their lives. "You deserved better than that, Potter."

The boy looked at Severus again, green eyes fierce. "Then why did you treat me the way you did?"

Severus found he couldn't look at him. "It's complicated."

"Because of my father?" he asked flatly.

"Part of it," he agreed. "Also, I was under the assumption that you were loved and spoiled and wouldn't need another member of your fan club. And you're a Gryffindor." _And you're Lily's child, and I don't want to get too attached and lose you, too. I swore that I'd protect you, and pushing you away seems like the best option._

Harry rolled his eyes at the Gryffindor part. "I could have been in Slytherin, you know."

"Merlin forbid," Severus said lightly, glad they were past the emotional part. He hated emotions. "I would have had to take too many points from my own house."

"But Dumbledore would have rewarded me with points for my 'foolish' acts, and your house might have stood a chance," he said cheekily. "But really, the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin."

Severus simply stood and shook his head. "Gryffindor is the right place for you, you brave fool."

He turned at the door. "Oh, Potter. I may have upset your friend Weasley just now."

His eyes narrowed. "What did you do?!"

"It's not what I did, but what I told him. There is going to be an attack on his family home sometime in the next few hours. It's perhaps for the best that he gets his emotions out ahead of time. It isn't going to be an easy time for his family, and they will need him to be strong."

"Everyone's going to be okay though, right?"

He nodded. "Everyone has been warned. Nonetheless, he may lose his home completely and it won't be easy."

"C-could they stay here for the rest of the summer, then, Professor?" 

Severus considered it. "It will depend what the Weasleys prefer, Potter. They may prefer to have all their children close to them."

"And sir ... I have another favour to ask," he said hesitantly. "Sally - the young witch - she's going to need someone to watch out for her, and I was hoping that you could arrange something," he said quickly, pleadingly. "I wanted to have her come stay here, but things are getting very dangerous. It's just, her mum isn't well, and she has no one else -"

Severus sighed. "Let us get through this summer in one piece, and I promise you I will arrange something," he said. "I will take my leave now, Potter, and go finish cleaning, if Lupin hasn't already done so. And Potter, please go and see Draco before you go to sleep? He's moping and it does not suit him at all."

The boy nodded, cheeks turning red, and bid Severus goodnight.

 _Oh, Lily,_ he thought, _I'm trying my best with your child. I hope you understand it isn't easy._

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

It was a little before midnight when Harry slipped into Draco's room.

He was sitting in the middle of his bed, hugging a pillow and glowing softly in the moonlight.

"Potter," he said tersely. "How nice to see you."

Harry sighed. "Draco, don't be like that. You KNEW it wasn't going to be easy! But I tried so hard to get them to be nice to you. It takes more than a day to get rid of years of hate."

He sighed miserably. "I know. I'll never compete with your little fan club."

He narrowed my eyes at him. "They're my friends, Draco. And so are you."

"Just a friend, hmm?"

Harry climbed onto the bed and crawled onto Draco's lap and stared into his eyes. "You're more than a friend, you know that." He wrapped his arms around him and leaned his head against the blond's shoulder. "Where'd all this insecurity come from?"

He mumbled something.

"What?"

"I just don't know where we go from here," he whispered. "I don't want to get too attached but I'm already jealous and stupid and -"

Harry kissed him then, slowly and deeply. Draco moaned and slipped his hands into his hair and pulled him closer. They kissed for a few minutes, hands everywhere, before Harry finally pulled away.

"We'll figure it out," he said at last. "It'll be okay."

"Easy for you to say," he said. "You just have to kill a Dark Lord. I have to work for one. You'll be the hero, and I'll be the villian."

"I won't let them force you to something you don't want," Harry said fiercly. "And neither will Snape, or Remus. Now, are you going to let me distract you?"

He smirked. "How?"

Harry kissed him hard then, and nipped at his lips with his tongue. Draco made a whimpering noise and pulled Harry on top of him, his arm wrapping possessively around his back. Harry sucked on his lower lip for a few seconds until the blond gasped and pushed his tongue into his mouth, and ran his hands under the edge of his shirt. Harry slipped his hands under Draco's shirt and lightly brushed his nipples, and then scraped them with the edge of his nails. He jerked upward, and Harry let his lips trail to his pale neck, sucking on a soft spot of skin and hearing the sharp intake of breath. Draco's hands raked down Harry's back, and he pulled away slightly.

"Do you like that?"

"Yes," he whispered. "Feels so good. I've never had anyone touch me like this."

"Do you want me to keep going?"

He nodded frantically, his hips bucking slightly against Harry. "Please,I need-"

Harry cut him off with another kiss, pulling his shirt over his head, and his hand slipped down to the fine skin just above his jeans. He dipped a finger into the small amount of space between the fabric and his skin, and Draco thrust his hips against the hand, trying to get it to slip lower. Harry undid the button of his jeans slowly and lowered the zipper, and then with one quick movement, slipped them down. There was now only one layer separating his hands and Draco's cock, and he ran a hand lightly over the bulge that was there. The blond moaned and writhed and whispered hotly into Harry's ear.

"Need to feel you on my skin," he panted. "Now."

Harry slipped his hand under the blue material and slowly stroked a finger up the length of hard cock. He slid a thumb over the head of his cock, and then slipped his finger into his mouth and sucked on the precum that coated it. It tasted good, and Harry sank down his body, and tasted him with his tongue. His skin was hot to the touch, and he didn't quite know what he was doing, but he slipped the head of Draco's cock into his mouth and massaged his balls while he looked up at him. His grey eyes were half-closed and stormy looked, and his face and chest were glistening with little beads of sweat.

Harry licked him slowly, and then took a deep breath and took as much of him in his mouth as he could. He squeaked and Harry relaxed, letting a little bit of him out a time. He settled for sucking on the head while one hand jerked what he couldn't reach and the other alternated from fondling his balls to sliding discreetly between his arse cheeks.

Harry tightened his lips around the hard cock and sucked harder, rougher, being careful not to hurt him. He really didn't know what he was doing but Draco wasn't stopping him and the sounds he was making were so delicious that Harry felt like he could come just by listening to him. His fingers threaded through Harry's dark hair, encouraging him.

Harry could feel himself getting more and more aroused, and he slid back up the lithe pale body, removing his clothes and straddling Draco's hips. Their cocks rubbed together, creating a hot, sweet friction. Harry kissed Draco roughly and he pinched his nipples and forced his mouth away to kiss and suck at a sweet spot on Harry's neck. They moved against each other, setting a quick, rough rhythm. Harry moaned into Draco's hair as the blond head dipped down and he captured one of Harry's nipples with his teeth.

"Fuck, Draco," Harry hissed. "Feels so good."

He smirked. "Stop talking and kiss me."

Harry complied, and reached down and starting stroking Draco's hard cock. A second later, Draco mimicked the action. Their breathing quickened, and they both rocked back and forth, eyes closed and tongues and lips moving frantically.

And then, without warning, everything went black for a second and when the world righted itself, they were both covered in hot, sticky cum, and Draco had a drowsy smile on his face.

"We came at the same time," he whispered.

"I've never came like that," Harry mused in amazement, "Not when I did it to myself."

They snuggled together for few minutes until they remembered that they were both sticky messes. "Know any charms to clean us?" Harry mumbled sleepily.

He reached for his wand and muttered something, and they were clean, still naked but clean and cool and ready for sleep.

"I wanna sleep with you," Harry said drowsily. "Just for a minute."

Draco smiled at him, grey eyes gleaming. "You can have as many minutes as you want, Harry. Happy birthday, by the way. I never did say it."

Harry looked at the clock. It was 11:58.

"You cut it close," he slurred. "Thanks for the present. I loved it."

"Which one?" he smirked. "The snitch, or the orgasm?"

"Both," Harry said, grabbing him roughly and pulling down beside me. "This was the best birthday ever."


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the poor editing of the last chapter - I went through it and fixed some stuff, and hopefully this one is better. This chapter focuses more on Remus/Severus. It's not a bad chapter, I guess. My posts might end up slowing down a bit for the next few weeks because I'm at the busiest time of year for my job and I just moved and have a lot to take care of. But I won't give up! This story will get done :) Feedback is always appreciated xo

Harry woke up with a tangled mess of pale limbs wrapped around him, and lay there, content, replaying the scenarios of last night. And then he blushed when he remembered that Snape was the one who sent him into Draco's room last night. He highly doubted that this was what he had had in mind. And then he felt guilty, because while he'd been getting off with his friends' worst enemy (and his, up until a month ago), his best friend's house could have been burning down.

Harry slipped out of bed and dressed quietly, and slipped away down the hall. 

He wandered into the kitchen, and Remus was the only one sitting there, sipping at a cup of coffee. He sighed in relief, and sat down across from him.

"Morning, Remus," he smiled.

"Morning, Harry," he said. "Sleep well?"

Harry blushed a little and nodded. "Yeah, good enough." He'd actually slept like a rock, enjoying another of the rare dreamless nights.

"No nightmares?"

He shook his head, biting into an apple. It was a little too dry.

"I guess Draco's good for something, at least. Sex often leads to a pretty deep sleep," Remus joked, and Harry choked and stared at him in horror.

"Don't worry, Harry, I didn't hear anything," he said, laughing. "I was just teasing, but I guess you just confirmed it for me. Just be careful, okay? Sex isn't something to take lightly at your age, especially not in your situation. Your heart can confuse sex with love, and love can leave you very, very vulnerable."

Harry nodded. He'd figured all of this out himself. "You don't care that I'm with another guy?" 

He shook his head. "I'm attracted to both as well, you know. It's actually kind of a wolf thing, we can mate to either males or females, regardless of the gender. We don't really get a choice. But in the Wizarding World, homosexuality and bisexuality is widely accepted. You can't live to over a hundred years old without doing some experimenting."

"So you've been with both, but you still haven't found your mate?"

He nodded, looking sad. "Sometimes, our mates die before we get to meet them. Or sometimes, they choose another, and we're not even aware they exist because their love is so strong and pure that we can't come between it. And sometimes, we settle with the person we believe is our mate, and have a family, and find out later on who our mate really is, and then we have a choice to make. Being a werewolf isn't easy."

"I never thought it was," Harry said. "I've always admired you because you handle it so well."

"Not always," he mumbled, looking at his toast. "Some people are less forgiving than you."

Harry just stared at him. "Why are you so hung up on getting Snape to forgive you? You know he doesn't care about anything but his potions."

"Not true," Remus argued. "He cares about Draco, and he cares about you."

"Right. You were at Hogwarts for a year, you know damn well how he treated me!"

"He wouldn't have given you that book if he hated you, Harry," he said. "He cares about you, he just doesn't know how to show it. I think he wanted to hate you, but found that he couldn't."

Harry shook his head at him. "You're too sappy, Remy. Whatever. Once this weird summer is over, everything will go back to the way it was."

Snape swept into the room just then. "Morning Potter, Lupin."

Harry mumbled a good morning and fled the room before Snape could say anything else to him.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 

"Morning, Severus," Remus answered as casually as he could, even though his heartbeat sped up a little when Severus walked into the room. He was dressed casually this morning, Muggle casual, with black jeans and a black shirt covered by a black leather jacket.

"I have business in London this morning," he said. "Arthur Weasley will be apparating here in a few hours to accompany me. Is there anything you need in London while I'm out?"

It bothered him that he wasn't well enough to accompany Severus on his little trip. To be honest, he doubted he would have let Remus go, anyway. He sighed and avoided looking at the other man. His toast was his main point of interest, and he played with the few remaining crumbs instead of actually eating them.

"No, thank you," Remus finally said softly. "Just be careful."

He looked at Remus with an odd expression before settling his face back into the expressionless mask. "I will."

He made himself a quick breakfast while Remus pretended not to be watching him. He settled down beside him, accidentally brushing against him, and a jolt of electricity rushed through Remus's body. He muffled the sound that tried to tear from his throat and laid his head on his arms.

He didn't move at all while Severus ate, and he was hyper aware of every single movement made. When he finally rose from the table, Remus almost sighed in relief. He didn't understand what was wrong with him. It was like he woke up this morning and decided he needed something to focus his attention on, and that something happened to be Severus.

"Are you okay, Lupin?" he drawled. "You don't look so well."

He raised my head and managed a weak smile. "Fine, Severus. Just tired."

There was a sudden crack and Arthur Weasley appeared in the kitchen, looking exhausted.

Remus was on his feet instantly. "How bad was it?"

"They didn't burn it down, but they might as well have," he said weakly. "It's going to takes months of work and tons of Galleons to fix it."

Severus laid a hand on the man's shoulder. "At least you have your valuables, and your lives, Arthur."

He attempted a smile. "Thanks to you, Severus. Thank you. I don't think you know how much we appreciate what you do for us."

Severus looked uncomfortable with the praise. "It is the least I can do," he said. "Are you ready?"

Arthur nodded, and Severus looked at Remus. "I should return by sunset. Have a good day, Lupin."

He slipped his cloak over his Muggle clothes and they disappeared with another pop.

It was the closest thing to nice that he would get from Severus Snape ever, he figured, and kicked himself mentally. Harry was right. Severus's opinion shouldn't matter, and once this summer was over, his contact with him would be minimal. He decided to get some more sleep. The kitchen was eerily silent, and still smelled like Severus, and he was sick of driving himself crazy.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 

Arthur Weasley probably hadn't been the best choice for this outing, Severus mused. He was distracted, with good reason, of course, but distracted nonetheless, and distraction could be fatal if they were caught by the wrong sort. But no one else had been available and he desperately needed ingredients that he could only get in certain shops.

Severus was a paranoid man by nature, and being out in public with a Weasley wasn't the best idea. He hoped that he could conclude his business in Diagon Alley quickly and go on to Muggle London. They'd be safe there.

If any Death Eaters caught sight of Arthur Weasley, there was no telling what they would do. They'd been cheated of their fun last night, and weren't likely to take it lightly. No to mention there was no telling how the Dark Lord had punished them - Severus knew he'd hoped for fatalities.

His paranoia was growing, and finally, he turned to Arthur. "I think it's best if we pretend that we aren't here together," he said.

He looked at him uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

He nodded quickly. "Stay close, but far enough away to not draw attention to yourself. I have a bad feeling about this."

He swept into store after store, Arthur staying just in his sight, waiting outside most of the shops, making small talk with a few people he knew. It wasn't yet public knowledge that the Burrow had been attacked, so it was easy for him to exchange pleasantries with friends. He came into a few of the shops just after Severus did and picked up small things, things that would comfort his wife and children, he assumed.

On a whim, Severus entered the ice cream shop quietly. The shop also sold candy and chocolate, and he picked up a few squares of chocolate, placing them in his robes after paying for them. There. He was finished his business in Diagon Alley, and not a minute too soon, as he'd seen a few little-known Death Eaters just a few minutes before.

He walked outside and looked for the familiar red hair, but didn't see it. He looked closer, and still nothing.

Heartbeat quickening, he walked quickly down the road, and caught a flash of red hair and black robes down a small side street.

He ran down the cobbled road and stopped short. Bellatrix Lestrange was backing Arthur into a corner, taunting him in a voice that reminded me of nails on a blackboard.

"Bella," Severus announced his presence calmly. "What are you doing?"

She whirled and smiled a saccharine sweet smile. "Oh, Severus, how nice to see you. Where were you last night?"

"I wasn't summoned," he replied, and it was true enough. He was rarely summoned for any of the attacks - the Dark Lord understood that his image was to remain as clean as possible if he wanted to keep his job at the school. Many of the Death Eaters held positions in the Ministry and were powerful enough that any indiscretions would be overlooked, but as a professor, he had certain reputations to uphold. Also, he had the excuse that many of his potions required specific brewing times.

"Oh, how sad," she said. "The Dark Lord didn't invite his most trusted servant out to play. No matter, you can have some fun with me now."

He glowered at her. "Bella, what are you doing? It's the middle of the day! I highly doubt the Dark Lord ordered this. And you're so fresh out of Azkaban. I didn't even know you'd been released."

Severus glanced quickly at Arthur, willing him to stay silent.

"I wasn't released," she cackled. "If Lucius wants to wasted his time trying to sweet talk his way out, that's his problem." She stroked her wand lovingly.

"Bella..."

She pouted. "I never get to have any fun. And then last night, I finally had my chance, and the blood traitors weren't even home. It was like someone warned them of our attack," she said, looking at Severus slowly. 

She pulled her wand out and pointed it at Arthur. "When I'm done with you, maybe you can have the room beside the Longbottoms," she said. "Crucio!"

Severus jumped in front of Arthur before she finished the curse, and it struck him instead. The pain was excruciating, but nothing he hadn't endured before. Bella's mouth fell open and she dropped the spell quickly.

"Severus, what are you doing?" she hissed.

"Stopping you from being an idiot, Bella! Go home! Don't you think the Dark Lord has other plans? Wait, and you'll get your fun."

She stared at him for a few minutes, her dark eyes glittering.

"GO, BELLA," Severus roared, and she finally turned away. 

Severus turned to Arthur, who was stock still. "We need to get out of here," he said. Unfortunately, with the new laws, there were only certain places in Diagon Alley that they could apparate from. They had to hurry.

He hurried down the path, the other man was tight behind him. He glanced behind them every few seconds, but didn't see anything unusual.

A spark of red light alerted Severus just seconds before a spell hit him from the side, leaving a gaping wound on his back, blood pouring from it instantly. Another hit him from the opposite side, causing both of his legs to start burning painfully. He stumbled and fell to his knees, gasping for air. He looked up and saw Bella's pale face, wand still pointed, her face twisted into a crooked smile.

"That's for taking away my plaything, Severus. Don't do it again, or you might find yourself being my newest toy."

"You're an idiot," he gasped for the second time. "The Dark Lord is going to be very displeased with you."

"Maybe not," she cooed. "Because I think I just found out who our spy is, and I'm sure he's going to reward me very nicely. Bye bye now, Severus."

Severus gagged, and she disappeared without a sound. He dragged himself into a sitting position. Arthur was a few feet behind him, stunned. Severus managed a weak Finite, and he was at his side in an instant.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked quickly.

"Back," Severus managed. "Bleeding a lot."

He made to move him, but Severus shook his head. "Can you apparate us both?"

He looked hesitant. "You're bleeding a lot, Severus," he said. "I think -"

"We need to go," Severus insisted. "She put a repelling spell on us to attack us, but it will wear off and we can't attract attention. Other Death Eaters around. Go, now!"

Arthur finally nodded and grabbed his arm, and Severus sucked in a sharp hiss of pain as they were pulled into mid air.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus collapsed on the kitchen floor in front of Granger, who screamed and bolted from the kitchen, calling for Lupin and Potter.

Arthur helped Severus remove his heavy outer coat and leather jacket, but he stopped him when he tried to remove his shirt. It was sticking to him painfully, and he cringed as he slowly pulled it off himself.

Potter skidded into the room. "Professor, what happened!?"

"Not now," he hissed with pain. "Need potion. Tiny blue bottle on the second shelf in my quarters."

He was back in seconds, kneeling beside Severus and helping him drink the potion. The pain in his legs stopped, but his back was still on fire. "I need you to clean the wounds," he said, and he nodded, his face pale but determined.

By the time he'd finished, Lupin, Draco, Weasley, and Granger were all in the room. Weasley and Granger were talking quietly with Arthur, and Potter was soothing Draco, running a hand up his arm quietly. Lupin looked concerned but didn't approach Severus. 

Potter helped him into the sitting room and onto the sofa. This sofa was seeing more injured bodies than some of the beds in St.Mungos, he thought irritably. That wasn't what he had bought it for.

Weasley approached him first. "Sir. Thank you for protecting my dad."

He attempted an eye roll. "I was just doing my job."

"But you put yourself in danger!" Granger said shrilly. "Arthur says that Bellatrix knows that you're a spy!"

"She knows nothing," Severus scoffed. "Nothing will happen, I assure you."

"But she attacked you! And you're on her side!"

Draco cut in smoothly. "Death Eaters don't have sides, Granger. They all work for the same Master, and towards the same goal, but it is everyone versus everyone. You have to be able to survive on your own, or you won't make it as a Death Eater. Forming allegiances is all fine and dandy, but the moment you've compromised something, everyone will turn against you."

"It sounds horrible," she said. "I'm glad you're okay, Professor."

He scoffed at the Gryffindor sentimentality, but was secretly touched.

"As touched as I am by everyone's concern," he said dryly, "I would like some space. I don't feel well enough to move to my own quarters, so if everyone could please leave this room..."

Everyone moved out slowly, Harry and Draco looking at him for almost a minute before finally stepping through the doorway.

"Lupin, stay," Severus commanded, and he turned. "Can you fetch me my cloak?"

He grabbed it from the kitchen and laid in gently on Severus's lap. He removed all the purchases from the pockets and resized them.

"Do you think you could bring all of this to my quarters for me?" he asked, trying not to cringe as he asked for help.

"Of course," he said, and made to gather them up.

It was then he remembered the damn chocolate, the chocolate that had gotten him into this mess, in his other pocket. "One moment, Lupin," he said, and pulled them out. "These are for you."

He thrust the chocolate into the werewolf's hand and refused to look at him as he mumbled a thank you.

Severus closed his eyes, feigning sleep, and he felt Remus's gaze linger on him for a few more minutes before he left the room quietly, closing the door and leaving the battered older man alone with his thoughts.


	19. Coup de Foudre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is almost all Remus/Severus. Their relationship is just as important in this story as Harry and Draco's. If you've made it this far and haven't figured that out, well, here's your warning. I will try and update again this week but depending on my work schedule, I can't make any promises. Thanks for sticking with me :)  
> Kaila xo

The next time Severus opened his eyes, it was pitch black in the room. He reached for his wand and cast a Lumos, and then struggled to his feet. He needed the loo, but he wasn't sure he was going to make it.

He'd barely made it to the door when Lupin appeared beside him, looking like he'd barely slept all.

"Let me help you," he said, and Severus was too weak to refuse, leaning against him and allowing him to almost fully support him.

They walked in silence and Lupin waited at the door while Severus did his business. 

"C-can we go to the kitchen?" Severus asked, hating how he felt like an invalid. "I'm thirsty."

"I can get you something," Lupin offered quickly, but he shook his head.

"No, I can manage. We'll go to the kitchen and you can make me tea," Severus offered. "I need to sit on something that isn't going to make my clothes rub against my back, at least for a few minutes."

They entered the kitchen and Severus noticed the chair that was pushed back from the table, along with a worn night robe and a half-empty cup of coffee.

"Have you been awake all night?" he asked the werewolf in disbelief.

Lupin coloured. "I just wanted to be close in case you needed something," he mumbled. "Least I could do since you're stuck with me."

But Severus Snape was no fool, and he heard the intense worry in Remus's tone. He had stayed awake all night because he was worried about him. Severus didn't know what to think. 

"Thank you, Remus," he whispered softly, and Remus's startled eyes swung to meet his. He made to put a hand on the werewolf's, but lost his balance and started to sway. Remus caught him easily and helped him into a chair, and the professor growled in frustration.

"I don't like being hurt," he muttered. "I hate feeling useless. I hate 'waiting for things to heal'. We're wizards, we should have better healing techniques."

Lupin set a cup of tea in front of him with a grin. "Not a good patient, hm, Severus?"

"Obviously not," Severus said, rolling his eyes, but with no malice. "How are the others?"

"They're all really worried about you," he said slowly. "About what Voldemort will do to you, to be precise."

Cursing Arthur Weasley for having mentioned that, he simply shook his head. "It will be fine, I promise you. He knows that Bellatrix is hotheaded and quick to act. She is the reason the whole mess at the Ministry happened. And now, she broke out of Azkaban but was in Diagon Alley in broad daylight. He will not believe her. I promise you that, Remus. You don't need to worry."

Lupin attempted a smile. "Okay."

They finished their drinks in silence, and Severus stood shakily. Remus immediately jumped to his feet and helped him back out into the sitting room. 

"Is there anything else you want, Severus? Blankets, a fire, potions?"

Severus shook his head, and the werewolf turned to the door.

"Remus?"

"Yes, Severus?"

Feeling like a fool, he blurted it out. "Will you sit with me until I fall asleep?"

Remus blinked slowly and nodded, coming over to the sofa and sitting at the end of it, smoothing part of Severus's blanket out over his lap.

"Of course, Sev," he said. "I'll stay, now go to sleep."

And he did.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus woke up and noticed right off that more than half of his body was very, very warm. He cracked open an eye and blinked in surprise. Remus was sprawled out on top of him, his head laying on Severus's chest. Before Severus realized what he was doing, he moved one of his hands up and laid it gently on the man's cheek.

Remus jolted awake, and almost instantly turned red.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"It's okay," Severus said softly. "Yesterday was a rough day for all of us. I'm sorry to have worried all of you."

Remus pulled himself into a sitting position and stared at Severus with a small smile.

"It's our job to worry about you, Severus," he said seriously. "We care about you."

The man snorted, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the sofa slowly, stretching them. "Right. You're all just worried about what will happen if I stop feeding you inside information from the Dark Lord."

Remus glared at him. "That is not true. Yes, you play a crucial role in the Order, but if you were to give up what you were doing tomorrow to make sure you were safe, no one would say a word. In fact, I can think of at least a few people who would be thrilled. Minerva, for one. She loves you, Severus, and don't say she doesn't. So does Dumbledore, and so does Draco. People care about you, you stupid oaf, just accept it already!"

"I'm not used to having anyone care about me," he said, unsure . "Not since Lily ..."

"I know," Remus said gently. "We both lost people important to us that day."

"And you've just lost Black, too, and yet you still have a heart of gold," Severus said numbly. "How?"

Remus just shrugged. "I'm lucky to even have known real friendship, with my condition and all."

"You shouldn't be defined by being a werewolf," the black-haired man said darkly. And he looked up at Remus hesitantly. "And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that, Remus."

Remus smiled gently. "It's okay, Sev, the past is the past."

"Why must you call me Sev?" he grumbled. "I feel like a child."

"It's cute," Remus insisted. "You can call me Remy, if you want."

More grumblings, but after a minute, Severus moved over slightly, until there was no space between the two of them. He tentatively reached an arm out and slipped it around Remus, and pulled the other man into an awkward hug. Remus stilled for a minute, and then hugged the other man back fiercely.

"I'm glad you're here, Remus," he whispered.

Remus didn't answer, instead laying his head on Severus's chest. He'd never felt this safe before. It was like coming home. Everything else disappeared, and all he could feel was the warmth of Severus's breath on his neck, and the beat of his heart under his ear. Severus smelt like sweat and blood, but under that, there was a sweet smell, slightly like mangos mixed with chocolate and rainwater. Remus closed his eyes, and let the smell wash over him. He was hyper aware of Severus taking his hand, running his thumb slowly over Remus's. Remus returned the motion without a thought. Severus's skin was soft, except for one small cut on his hand. Remus felt a surge of protectiveness wash over him. He needed to keep Severus safe. He wouldn't let anyone hurt him. Now that he'd found him, he was never going to let him go.

Remus sat straight up at that last thought.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked sleepily.

"I just realized we should probably clean your wounds before they get infected," Remus said quickly. "Do you trust me to do it, or should I get Harry?"

"Of course I trust you," Severus said, confused. "Remus -"

"I'll go get the stuff," he said, and practically fled the room.

Once in the bathroom, with the door locked firmly behind him, Remus looked at himself in the mirror. He looked healthier than ever, his skin glowing slightly and his teeth sharp, his hair shiny and his eyes bright.

Oh, Merlin.

Oh, Merlin, indeed.

He took a few deep breaths, and when he finally got himself under control, he walked back into the sitting room, forcing himself to remain calm. He smiled, attempting to be look reassuring.

"Sorry," he mumbled to Severus. "I'm okay," he said, reading the question in the other man's eyes. 

He cleaned the wounds quickly, got the potions that Severus asked for, and made them both a light breakfast, avoiding Severus's eyes.

He ate quickly and made to get up, but Severus grabbed his arm.

"Remus, what's wrong?"

He forced a smile. "Nothing, Severus, really."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, before Severus dropped his arm. "Fine. I'd like to go to my quarters, if that's not too much trouble."

The walls were back up, and Remus cursed himself mentally. Leave it to him to go and ruin things before they really even got started. He helped Severus down to the end of the hallway, and then stood awkwardly while he opened the door. 

"If you need anything else, Severus -"

"I'll manage," he said shortly. "Thank you."

The door closed smartly, inches from Remus's face.

 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

It seemed like it had only been a few minutes that he'd been asleep when there was a knock on his door, waking him from a restless sleep. He'd been dreaming something awkward, in which he was running after a pack of werewolves, begging them to help him. The faster he ran, the farther they got, and the more Severus's heart broke.

He growled something unintelligible and the door opened slowly. 

Messy black hair was the first thing he noticed, and he sighed irritably. Of course Potter would have to check on him.

"Hi, sir," he said hesitantly. "I don't want to be a bother, but -"

Something about the concern in the boy's voice wore Severus down, and he waved him in. Gods, he was getting soft, he thought. He was going to really have to work on this before he went back to school and let the ignorant first years fool him into being nice to them.

"Come sit down," he invited, and the boy did so, masking his surprise pretty well.

"I'm in no danger of dying, Potter," he said briskly. 

To his horror, tears welled up in the green eyes. "But you could have been," he mumbled. "Just like Remus could have been. I hate V-Voldemort ! I want this to e-end. I don't want anyone else I care about to d-die for me! Not even you, Professor! You c-can't die!"

Severus struggled to a sitting position and for the second time that day, found himself leaning towards someone. The boy jumped back at first when Severus touched him, but then fell forward and wrapped his arms around him, sobbing into Severus's shirt.

After a few minutes, Po-Harry, Severus realized, he was going to have to call him Harry now. Harry looked up, eyes watery. "Last night, when you got here, covered in blood, my first thought was that you were going to die and we were still going to be pretending we hate each other. I don't hate you, Professor, and I hope you don't hate me."

"I don't," Severus said. "I don't hate you." I love you, idiot child, he thought fiercely, but couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud.

Harry moved off Severus, a tiny smile on his face. But it was quickly replaced by a frown, and he glanced at his professor. "Do you know what's wrong with Remus?"

Severus bristled, thinking of the man's odd behaviour earlier. "No, I do not."

"He's walking around the kitchen looking like he just lost the love of his life or something," Harry said uneasily. "It's quite scary, actually, he snapped at Ron and Hermione for kissing at the table, and when Draco tried to come see you with me, he ordered us to go one at a time."

"It's close to the full moon," Severus said. "Perhaps that is what is ailing him."

"Maybe," Harry said, but didn't look convinced. "It's just weird. Anyway, I better let Draco come see you. Will you be well enough for dinner with us?"

Severus debated, and then nodded. "I don't see what harm it could do," he said. "After all, if something goes wrong, there are enough of you there to help me."

It was a small show of faith, but Harry beamed like a child who'd been given the keys to a candy shop. 

"I'll let Remus know," he said. "He's cooking tonight."


	20. Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow ... 20 chapters already. Didn't ever think I'd get this far. Thanks for the support so far! And I'm glad you guys are liking Remus/Severus together too, they're my favorite pairing and I honestly might ship them more than Drarry.

Severus limped into the kitchen a little before 7, and pulled out a chair, sighing in relief as he sat down. His back hurt something awful, and he probably should have taken a pain potion before coming into the kitchen. But he knew all too well that they suppressed appetites, and he wanted to eat. Remus was stirring something on the stove and didn't even turn when the other man came in.

"Remus," he finally said, not liking the silence.

"Severus." His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Damn it, Remus, why won't you tell me what's wrong?" Severus snapped, glaring at the man.

"It's just the coming moon," Remus said slowly. "Heightens all my emotions and leaves me ... vulnerable."

Severus thought he understood then. "Are you worried that you're misinterpreting my actions from this morning? Because you're not, Remus. I - I care you about you, Remus. You've become a true friend."

Remus turned to him then. "Severus, I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I know it's hard for you to express how you feel - and you're doing a wonderful job, I swear. I'm the one being difficult, okay? I'm so damn scared I'm going to do something to screw this up. We've always been at odds, you and I. And now that we're not - I don't know where to go from here."

Severus felt a frisson of hope. "You could start by coming over here," he said awkwardly, standing.

Remus did, and Severus leaned against him, happy to just be close to him.

"You're an idiot," he said, and the other man laughed.

"I'm beginning to think you only call people idiots when you care about them, Sev."

"Shut up," Severus growled. "I'm going to have to do something horrible pretty soon to prove that I'm still the same mean Severus Snape."

Remus chuckled and wrapped an arm around him. "You can be mean to your students when classes start," he said. "For now, you can let your guard down around us. Speaking of us, Ron and Hermione are going back to see the Weasleys tomorrow, but they want to know if they can come back after?"

Severus sighed. "I suppose. Nothing like being surrounded by Gryffindors for the rest of the summer."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Seeing Severus look so unsure had hurt him, a raw, physical ache. It was like he was afraid that Remus was going to decide that Severus wasn't worth fighting for. If he only knew, Remus thought sadly. It was much too late for that now.

He didn't talk much during the meal, letting the teens chat with Severus. It was nice, seeing him open up slightly and look less menacing. He even managed to be nice to Hermione and Ron, inviting them back to stay with them after they were done with the Weasleys.

Harry kept shooting him secret glances when he thought Remus wasn't looking, and after the meal was over, he basically demanded that Remus and him do the cleaning up together while the others went and relaxed.

Remus filled the sink up to the top with boiling hot water and started scrubbing the dishes while Harry stared at him. Finally, he turned to his best friend's child.

"Out with it, Harry."

Harry looked at him for a minute, and then simply shrugged. "Just wondering when you planned on telling Severus that you're in love with him."

The plate Remus was washing slipped through his fingers and shattered on the floor. Remus sank onto the floor beside the plate.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked painfully.

Harry looked at him with pity. "Only to me, Moony, because I know you so well. No one else has noticed anything. If they noticed you're feeling a bit off, they assumed it's because you stayed up all night taking care of Severus."

Harry squatted beside him, and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Remus ... he's your mate, isn't he?"

Remus replied by dropping his head in his hands.

"Oh, Remy," Harry said. "That's wonderful."

Remus looked at him sharply. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Harry."

"But I'm not being sarcastic. You've finally found your mate, shouldn't that make you happy?"

"No," Remus moaned. "It doesn't make me happy because he doesn't want me, not like that."

"How do you know?"

"He hates werewolves," Remus whimpered pitifully. "He wouldn't ever love one."

Harry sighed. "I'm not going to lie, I know he doesn't like werewolves. But you're not just a werewolf. You're Remus Lupin, and he must care about you, at least a little bit. Otherwise, he never would have let you help him. He trusts you, Remy. The moon is soon, why don't you ask him to watch you transform? He's seen it before, and you're safe with the Wolfsbane. It's important that he accepts the wolf, if he's going to be your mate."

Remus looked at Harry with a wisful expression. "He might say no."

"And he might say yes. You're just scared, and I get it, Remus, I really do. I'm scared shitless, too. I have no idea what's going to happen to me and Draco after this summer, and it terrifies me. It was supposed to be something casual, but apparently I can't do casual."

Remus sighed. "And you're being braver about it than I am. I envy you, Harry. You're a true Gryffindor."

"Or a good actor," he sighed. "If my career as an Auror fails, I can always star in Muggle films."

Remus got to his feet and repaired the broken plate. 

"So you'll talk to him?" Harry pressed. 

"Yes," Remus sighed. "You can stop pestering me now. Go see your friends, I can take care of the dishes alone."

Harry grinned at him and skipped from the room.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

He found Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy in the sitting room, an uncomfortable silence echoing through the room.

"Where's Severus?" he asked.

"He went to his room," Hermione answered. "How come you've started calling him Severus all of a sudden?"

Harry flushed slightly. "I, uh, I guess I realized that I care about him," he said awkwardly. "He's doing his best for me, and for Draco, and for Remus, and I can't fault him for that."

"But he's been a right arse to you since the very beginning!" Ron said, scandalized. "Have you forgotten how horrible he's been to all of us, really, at school? Or the way he treated Sirius, and even Remus until recently?

Harry just smiled sadly. "I know. But he's trying, Ron."

Ron just shook his head disbelievingly, while Hermione smiled tenderly.

"You have a heart of gold, Harry," she said. "You're a wonderful person."

Draco was silent through the entire exchange, staring at Harry with a deep longing. Harry sighed, deciding it was now or never. He got up from the chair he was sitting on and settled onto the sofa beside the blond, leaning back and laying his head on Draco's chest.

Ron and Hermione stared in silence.

Draco wrapped an arm around Harry and looped their hands together.

"I see Snape isn't the only one who managed to get into your heart. I just hope he's not getting into your pants, too," Ron spat. "Or do all Death Eaters turn you on now?"

Harry sat up, wand out. "Go to hell, Ron. You don't know anything about the kind of person Draco is -"

"I've been at school with him for the last five years," Ron cried. "I'm beginning to think Snape oblivated you when you first got here! It's the only thing that explains the way you're acting recently."

"Or maybe I can just accept that people change and that people deserve second chances. How many second chances have I given you, Ron?"

The redhead flushed hotly. "That's different, I'm your mate! Mates fight!"

"Yeah, over girls and sport teams and homework!"

"So I've been a shitty friend," Ron cried. "I'm still worth ten of him!"

"Stupefy!" Harry said, and Ron froze, motionless.

"Deal with him," he hissed at Hermione. "I don't want to see him before you leave."

He stalked from the room, Draco following him.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Harry flung himself on his bed and let the tears crash over him. He sensed Draco's presence before the blond even sat beside him. He ran a comforting hand up and down Harry's back, and let him cry. When Harry finally looked up, he was met with Draco's worried eyes.

"You didn't have to do that," Draco said softly.

"He deserved it," Harry spat. "Git."

"I didn't mean the hex," he said. "I mean, you didn't have to tell them. You knew what was going to happen, so why did you tell them?"

His conversation with Remus flashed in his mind. "I don't want to hide anything," he said. "I don't want this relationship to be built on more secrets and lies than it already is."

Draco sighed. "I wish it didn't have to be this way," he said fervently. "I wish we were just normal kids, with normal teenage problems."

"You and I will never be normal," Harry sighed. "Maybe that's why we fit so well together."

Draco ran a finger down Harry's cheek. "We'll figure this out," he promised. "We'll figure everything out."

Harry laid his head on Draco's lap and let the blond run his fingers through his hair.

"I hope so," he whispered. "Oh, gods, I hope so."


	21. Flashbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot to update last week, oops. But better late than never, right?  
> I'm getting to the end of this story slowly but surely. I believe it's going to be 30 chapters. Thanks for sticking with me through it! Comments are always great! <3  
> Oh, and if you like fluff and mild angst (more mild than this story) and the character of Scorpius Malfoy, go read my other story For The Love of a Child :)

_"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to go off on your own, Remus?" the friendly barmaid asked him. He frequented a few pubs in Muggle London these days. Since the knowledge of his lycanthropy had become public thanks to one Severus Snape, he wasn't welcomed in a lot of wizarding establishments. It didn't matter to him, he convinced himself. He was still a valued member of the Order - his real friends accepted him, no matter what. It didn't seem important that he could barely get work or that he didn't get to see Harry as often as he liked or that his best friend had died before he'd had a chance to prove that he was a free man - nothing mattered, these days._

_He realized the barmaid had said something else to him and raised an eyebrow sheepishly._

_"That's exactly what I mean," she said. "You look ill, Remus, maybe you should let me call you a cab."_

_He shook his head. "I'll be fine," he said. "Just need some sleep. Didn't sleep much last night."_

_He quickly paid for his order of fish and chips and exited the building, heading down the narrow street to an alley that he often apparated from._

_He hadn't been feeling well the last few days, but the full moon had just passed and sometimes the lingering effects of the change took longer than usual to fade._

_He was grateful he at least had the Wolfsbane. No matter what he thought of Severus, and the man of him, he unfailingly provided the Wolfsbane for Remus every month. In the last few months, Remus had noticed that he had even been tinkling with the potion, altering the taste slightly and making it taste less vile._

_He hoped that Severus wasn't being too hard on Harry - his hatred for Harry's father was the main reason that Remus hadn't been thrilled about Harry spending the summer with him. Remus didn't trust that he could separate his feelings towards James from his feelings towards Harry, and the last thing the boy needed was another emotional burden._

_Remus was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps until they were right behind him._

_He whirled around, wand out, and looked right into the eyes of another werewolf._

_"Hello, Lupin," the man purred. "Still slumming about in Muggle London? Haven't the humans realized that you're no danger to them as long as you take their little potion?"_

_"Greyback," Remus hissed. "What do you want?"_

_"I want to avenge my kind. You're a traitor, Lupin!" he said, and jumped, changing midway in the air and attacking Remus as a fullgrown werewolf. His claws slashed gaping holes into either side of his chest, and he snarled and bit at the his neck and shoulders, the weight of his body leaving Remus helpless. Blood poured from the wounds, splashing onto the sidewalk and staining it red. His flesh strained under the attack, and his bones were cracking, sounding much too brittle, and he was beginning to lose conciousness._

_He was going to die, he realized, and for a moment, he almost gave in and closed his eyes. But then images of Harry flashed through his mind, and he snarled, pushing the werewolf with the little of of strength he had left. Surprise was on his side, because Greyback flew off, into a nearby trashcan._

_Remus lurched to his feet and just as Greyback jumped towards him again, disappeared._

_He landed on cold, hard ground, and it was enough for his eyes to snap open._

_"Dear Merlin," someone gasped, and he looked up into the eyes of a concerned young witch._

_"We need to get you to St.Mungos!" she exclaimed, but Remus shook his head._

_"Hogwarts," he said. "Dumbledore."_

_She looked at him in disbelief. "You're badly injured, sir! Please let me -"_

_"Hogwarts," he repeated, "floo."_

_She looked at him for another few seconds and then helped him off the sidewalk and into the house just behind her. Remus didn't see anyone else around and counted himself lucky - the last thing he needed was to make a scene._

_She helped him into the Floo and handed him a handful of Floo powder._

_"Are you sure -"_

_He nodded. "Minevra McGonagall's office," he managed, and then collapsed into the green flames._

_*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*_

_Remus woke up with a start, wondering what had caused him to wake up in such a panic. And then he realized his door was opening, and he grabbed his wand, instantly alert._

_"Remus," a soft voice said. "It's just me."_

_"Severus," he whispered, heartbeat picking up at the sound of the other man's voice. He was sure he could almost smell the faint cologne from across the room. "You scared me."_

_"I heard you screaming from down the hall," the man said, lighting his wand so Remus could see his face. It was paler than normal, worry straining the already worn edges. "Are you all right?"_

_"It was Greyback," Remus said. "Greyback attacked me. I remember everything. It came to me in a dream._

_Severus sat down wearily on the bed and placed an arm on Remus's thigh. "I know," he said slowly. "I know it was Greyback."_

_"You - how - the Death Eater's meeting's," Remus realized. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"I was afraid that you might try to go after him," he said. "I know the wolf in you angers quickly and -"_

_"You don't trust me," Remus said tightly, trying to hide the disappointment he felt. "It's okay."_

_"It's not you I don't trust," Severus replied darkly. "I don't trust myself to be able to stay back and let you go if you decide to go after him. And it's a risk that I can't afford to take. I need to be able to protect you, and Harry and Draco, and the Weasleys, and all the others."_

_Remus leaned into him then, contented. "I understand, Sev," he said. "I just wish I could do more than I'm doing right now."_

_Severus ran a hand slowly through Remus's hair. "What do you remember about the attack?"_

_"It was in an alley in Muggle London," he said. "He attacked me because he sees me as a traitor to the werewolf kind - I don't know how Voldemort works, but I think it's a message - that traitors will be taken care of, I guess. You need to be careful, Severus, please." _I can't lose you, too.__

_"I will be," Severus promised him._

_Remus felt his eyes closing and tightened his hold on Severus's arm. "Stay with me," he whispered. "Please."_

_Severus swung his legs up into the bed and settled down beside Remus, running a hand down the other man's back until his breathing evened out. "I'll stay," he whispered. "I'll stay."_

_*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*_

_Remus woke up alone and was sad for a brief moment, but then he remember what day it was, and padded quietly down the hall to Severus's lab. He smiled to himself when he heard the familiar sounds of potions bubbling. But the smile faded when he thought of once again facing the upcoming transformation. Even with the wolfsbane, it was hard, and he was so vulnerable. It would also be a night away from Severus, as he hadn't had a chance to ask him about being with him on his moon time._

_He headed outside, sitting on the step and enjoying the slight breeze on his face._

_It was times like this that he most wished that he was normal, he mused. He wanted normal things: a job, a family, an apartment in London. The job wasn't easy to acquire, the family part terrified him because of his condition, and the apartment in London was out of the question. Normal witches and wizards could live in muggle surroundings with no problems, but he needed somewhere for the wolf, as well. Or somewhere with a soundproof, padlocked room, and that wasn't his first choice._

_Somewhere like here would be the ideal second choice, he realized. It was isolated and beautiful, perfect for the wolf. The main reason Remus craved a home in London was the crowds. He always felt alone, and surrounding himself with a crowd seemed to help. But he'd be happy here, with Severus. They could adopt a few kids and he could apparate to Hogsmeade during the week and -_

_He stopped himself before he could fantasize any further. Right now, he had a war to win, friends to protect, and a heart to teach how to love and trust again. He had his work cut out for him without adding unwanted worries to his list._

_*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*_

_Harry stood awkwardly in the sitting room beside the Floo with Draco, waiting for Ron and Hermione. The duo were going back to see the Weasleys, and heading to the Burrow to assess the damage and see what could be saved. Harry wished he could be going with them, but it wasn't safe, things were awkward at best with Ron, and he couldn't leave Draco._

_Hermione flung herself at Harry the moment she walked in the room. She held back the tears, but Harry could see them glistening anyway. He squeezed her tightly before he let her go._

_"I wish we could stay," she said softly. "But I know you'll be okay here."_

_Harry nodded, throat tight. "Be careful," he begged. "I don't want anything to happen to you."_

_"I promise," she said. "Take care of him," she said to Draco, and the blond nodded firmly._

_"I will," he said. "And do be careful, Granger. He doesn't need to lose anyone else."_

_She inclined her head, and Ron stepped into the room with their bags._

_"Harry -" he started, but Harry held up a hand._

_"I'm still pissed at you," Harry said tightly. "But I love you, you arse, and want you to be careful. Give your best to your family, okay? I miss them all so much."_

_"I will," he said. "But, Harry -"_

_Harry just shook his head sadly. "Not now, Ron, okay? Please."_

_The redhead nodded mutely, looking dejected. He stared at his best friend for a few seconds before he grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and disappeared. Hermione gave Harry one more quick hug and followed him through, her eyes never leaving his face. Harry sank onto the couch, his limbs feeling as heavy as his heart._

_"They'll be okay," Draco said softly. "They have each other."_

_"I just have such a bad feeling," Harry said softly. "And I wish I could be with them. The Weasleys are the only family I've ever known."_

_He nestled into Draco's side, and nestled his head under the blond's chin. They lay there a long time, enjoying each other's comforting silence, lost in thought._


	22. Man and Wolfa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favourite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wanted to write a transformation chapter. And I've always gone with the idea that werewolves look like more traditional wolves. Anyway, I know it's not much, but there's only 9 chapters left so things pick up very quickly and I'm in the middle of writing/editing all the better chapters near the end. I'm trying! We'll get there eventually!

Remus drank the Wolfsbane that Severus brought him without saying a word, and then turned and resumed pacing the small room. It was eight steps from one side of the small room to the other.

After watching him for a few moments, Severus laid a hand on his arm. "Remus, what's wrong?"

"Oh, you know, just going to turn into a monster in a few hours," Remus said sarcastically. "I forgot, I should be thrilled."

Severus sighed. "I've never seen you this nervous. Is it because you're here? Nothing is going to happen, the Wolfsbane is going to do what it is meant to do and you'll be perfectly safe. Believe me, Remy, you're going to be fine."

Remus's eyes filled with tears. "I hate it," he said hoarsely. "It hurts me so badly, and it's horrible, and I'm so alone." A tear leaked down his cheek. "I miss James and Sirius. When they were alive, I didn't have to spend my transformations alone." He glanced at Severus. "I know you didn't like them, but they were amazing friends to me at least. I miss them so much, and the moon time makes the ache even more real."

Severus stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Remus. "I would never ask you not to miss them" he said softly. "You'll always miss them, just like I will always miss Lily."

Remus sniffled into Severus's shoulder. "Life sucks."

The potion master ran a hand down his werewolf's back. "Not always," he said. "It's not that bad, when we're together."

Remus looked at him for a minute. "Would you - no, never mind," he said, and pulled away and resumed his pacing.

The other man watched him - he looked, for lack of a better word, like a caged wolf. 

"I can stay with you while you transform," he found himself offering, and the pacing stopped instantly.

"R-really?" Remus breathed. "You'd do that for me?"

"For us," Severus corrected. He didn't hide the nervousness in his eyes or his voice. It was important that Remus knew he was frightened - he didn't want whatever this was to be based on lies and secrecy and miscommunication. He had realized what Remus wanted - but he didn't feel like he could ask for it. So he'd offered it, and the brilliant warmth in Remus's eyes made it worth it.

"You don't have to," Remus said, guilt creeping into his voice. "I know my wolf form holds nothing but bad memories and -"

"It is in the past," Severus said firmly. "I - I trust you, Remus."

Remus swept forward and claimed the other man's lips with his own before he could say anything. The kiss was soft and sweet, unlike either of them, really, and Remus wrapped his arms tightly around Severus before he pulled away.

"I trust you, too," he said breathlessly. 

Remus sank onto the narrow bed and pulled Severus down with him, snuggling into his side.

"It's strange, isn't it, how we ended up here?" he mused. "I never would have imagined things working out this way, not with the way we were in school, or even after school. I hated you for the longest time, for outing me as a werewolf, you know. But I realized you had every right - I didn't take the potion that night, and if you hadn't been there -"

"I don't think you would have attacked the children," Severus admitted. "I think you would have recognized them - Harry, at least. He's too like James, after all."

"He has a lot of Lily in him, too," Remus reminded him. "Speaking of Lily ... I thought you were still in love with her."

"Part of me will always be," Severus said, releasing a long breath. "She was the first person who ever loved me, the first person who ever showed me what it was like to know true affection and friendship. Part of me thinks that is why I fell in love with her. And then I pushed her away the moment her affection waned, because I didn't want to be hurt. But I hurt myself in the worst way possible by hurting her."

"She forgave you, you know," Remus said. "She still loved you, too, and she regretted not telling you when she had the chance."

"I'm not sure I would have believed her," Severus admitted. "In my eyes, she was choosing James over me, and I couldn't accept that."

"Fair enough," Remus agreed. "Lily was so full of love, though, that there would have been a place in her heart for every single person in Hogwarts had they asked her." He paused. "She would be proud of you, Severus, for realizing the difference between right and wrong, and for opening your heart enough to let us in."

"Us?" Severus echoed narrowly.

"Me, and Harry, and Draco," Remus said. "I know you care for them as much as they care for you."

He didn't try to deny it. "I just want to be happy," he said. "But at times, I feel like I don't deserve it."

"Everyone deserves happiness, Sev."

"I put up walls and didn't let anyone in," he said slowly. "I didn't know how to let them in."

"I put up walls, too," Remus said. "The only difference was, my walls were built with my friends on the inside, not the out, so at least, my fortress didn't seem quite as lonely as yours. Now that they're gone, the walls are crumbling, and when I build them back up again, I hope to include a few new people on the inside. There's too much loneliness when you try to rule a kingdom on your own."

Severus slid his hand into Remus's and ran his thumb along the soft skin. "Do you really think I deserve to be happy?"

Remus didn't even hesitate. "Yes," he said. "And I know Lily would agree."

"Potter and Black must be rolling in their graves, seeing us like this," Severus mused.

"I bet Lily is lecturing them," Remus said, smiling at the thought. "She always believed love conquered all."

"And she may be right," the other man replied. "After all, the power of her love was enough to save Harry's life."

The two fell into silence, thinking of Harry, and the task that lay ahead of him. Both knew about the prophecy, and knew that one day, he would have to face the Dark Lord for the last time. Neither knew when that time would come, or how long they'd have to prepare, or even how to prepare. Harry was good at putting on a brave face, but he had to be terrified. He was either going to kill the most powerful wizard in the world, or die trying. 

"He'll win," Severus said softly. "He has to. He has one thing the Dark Lord doesn't - people who love him and people who would die for him. That's one kind of sacrifice that he will never know - people die because of him, but never for him. They grew up in the same environment, a loveless, empty, isolated environment, and Harry prospered anyway while the Dark Lord turned against even himself. He'll never know love because he never loved himself. He's doing this for power, while Harry is doing it for love. Love for us, love for his friends, love for the world around him, and love for himself. If he didn't love himself at all, he would have given up by now."

"I hope you're right," Remus said, nestling his face into Severus's shoulders. "If Harry doesn't win this war, I don't think I'll even want to live anymore," Remus said sadly. "If love isn't enough to save this world, it's not a world I want to live in."

"Nor I," Severus echoed softly.

"He still needs as much help as he can get," Remus said. "I just don't even know where to start."

"I think the thing that Harry needs most is to know that we believe in him," Severus said. "This last year has taken its toll on him and a lesser person would have given up."

"I think he wanted to," Remus said. "But he's found a few things to keep him going - the young witch being one, Draco being another, and you another," he added.

"Nonsense," Severus said, flushing. "I am sure I am not a reason."

"You are," he insisted. "He loves you."

Severus muttered something and Remus smiled. He wouldn't make him repeat it, but he knew what he'd heard.

They talked for the remainder of the next two hours, about nothing and everything. They opened up to each other in ways that they hadn't opened up to others in a long, long time, and nestled into each other, fitting against each other perfectly. No topic was off limits - they revisited their youth, they talked about their hopes and dreams, fears and secrets, they talked about Lily and Sirius and James, Severus talked about the Death Eaters, Remus opened up on his experiences with other werewolves, and by the time the sun was setting, they trusted each other completely.

Remus got to his feet eventually and resumed pacing, feeling the wolf in him begging to be released. 

"Severus?" he asked slowly.

"Yes?"

"Ca-can we go outside? When I transform? I won't go far, but I need to stretch and I haven't been able to lately. It makes it easier to change back, if I get to run around for a bit."

Severus nodded. "Of course."

Remus could feel it the second the moon started to rise. His body was coiled in tension, and it started. Furious ripples of pain washed over his body again and again as his limbs begin to swell and strengthen and his body became a furry mess. He moaned as the change shook him from head to toe. Feet and hands became paws, his ears became pointy, his teeth became dangerous enough to snap a grown man in half, and his face twisted and thinned into the long, pointy face of the wolf. He writhed in pain as he dropped into a crouch as his limbs took their proper shape. His eyes were dark and haunted, and there was a hungry look in his eyes, a look that never quite softened despite years of being on Wolfsbane. 

Severus was glued to the wall, eyes never leaving the sight in front of him. He cringed when Remus whimpered in obvious pain, and wished there was something he could do to help the man-beast in front of him.

After what seemed like hours, agonizing hours for both man and wolf (mere minutes, in fact), the transformation was complete, and where Remus Lupin had stood mere minutes before, now stood a beautiful grey wolf, flecked with spots of brown, and big eyes. The wolf sniffed the air and moved closer to Severus, who tensed slightly, but held out a hand shakily anyway. The wolf sniffed the hand, and then whimpered slightly. It turned and pawed at the door, and Severus hurriedly opened it. The wolf made it's way down the hall to the back door, and waited patiently for the human to catch up. When Severus opened the door, it bounded outside, and started to run.

Severus found himself wishing he could transform into something that would allow him to keep up with his wolf. Instead, he sat in the garden, and watched as the wolf ran the perimeters of the property, howling occasionally, and tripping over it's own limbs as it became accustomed to it's new form once again.

Severus heard a knock on the window and looked up to see Draco and Harry with their noses pressed to the glass, watching the wolf as well. He nodded in greeting and resumed watching, eyes never leaving the creature in front of him.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

About an hour before dawn, Draco found himself being shaken awake.

"Whatsamatter?" he mumbled, and Harry tugged on his arm.

"Come see," he whispered. "It's beautiful."

Harry pulled his lover to the window that overlooked the back garden, and Draco had to agree with him: it was beautiful.

Severus was curled up on the small patch of pavement beside the rose bushes, sleeping peacefully, one hand curled tightly into grey fur. Resting it's head on the man's legs was the beautiful grey wolf, eyes alert as he made sure no one dared approach his mate.


	23. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Another update! Woooooo :) This chapter contains some mild torture, nothing too gruesome as it's been ages since I've written anything like that. I'm sorry if my updating is a bit erratic these days but I'm constantly sleep deprived and I've also fallen victim to another fandom - the Once Upon A Time fandom. Anyone else watch it?? I'm on season 4 now, so in love with so many characters.  
> Comments are always appreciated - I'm very glad several of you have told me that you approve/now ship Remus/Severus. Fun fact, I started shipping them while they were a side pair in a Drarry fanfiction I read. It's called **Secret by Vorabiza, google it and read it if you haven't, it is AMAZING. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING, in my top 5 forever. Along with **Twist Of Fate, Mental, Eclipse,** and **The Secret's In The Telling**. READ THEM ALL. A lot of angsty stuff tbh. Anyone have any recommendations for me?? :)**

Severus was organizing notes in his study the following day when he felt the familiar sharp burn on his arm. For moment, he almost thought he'd imagined it - he was exhausted, and his body ached from sleeping outside at an odd angle with his wolf. But it burned again, more persistently, and he sighed and stood up, papers disappearing into his desk with a sweep of his wand.

He swept down the narrow hallway and into the sitting room, where Draco and Harry were curled up on the sofa, talking softly. Draco took one look at his godfather's serious expression and hand on his forearm and frowned.

"You've been summonded, haven't you?" Draco asked, and Severus nodded.

"Make sure Remus knows where I am when he wakes," Severus requested, fighting to keep his voice even. "Do not allow him to panic - I do not know how long I will be gone, or what shape I will be in when I return."

Both boys flew at him and hugged him tightly. "Be careful," Harry whispered worriedly, and Severus looked down to find the green eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I will be all right," Severus tried his best to sound reassuring. He knew what the boy was thinking - he was still concerned about the episode with Bellatrix and Arthur in Diagon Alley. "I may be punished, but he will never harm me unnecessarily."

"I don't want him to hurt you at all," Harry whispered sadly, clinging to Draco.

"It is not your fault," Severus said. "You needn't blame yourself for decisions I made years ago."

"You could just hand me over and he'd leave you alone."

"No," Severus said, and the one word spoke volumes, filling up every corner of the room. "Never."

Before Harry or Draco could say anything else, he was gone.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"My Lord," Severus said, bowing smoothly. "You requested my presence?"

It hasn't escaped his attention that he was the only one present. It was rare for a solitary summons; it usually only happened when the Dark Lord had a request to make of Severus and wished for it to remain private. The Dark Lord trusted few; if any at all. It was usually considered a privilege to have received a private summons - under the circumstances, Severus wished he wasn't alone.

"Severus," the man purred. "How nice to see you. I trust you are well?"

"Indeed, my Lord," he said humbly. "And yourself?"

"Yes,yes," he said, waving an arm. "Severus, I require your assistance."

"Anything for you, my Lord," he said, nodding respectfully. "What do you need from me?"

"I require Polyjuice Potion," he said. "I trust you have some on hand?"

Severus did, as a matter of fact. It was something useful for both the Order, and for his role as Death Eater potioneer. He wondered what the Dark Lord would be using it for this time. The slimy man in front of him didn't seem too eager to give any details, and Severus knew that pressing him would anger him, and give him cause for suspicion. 

"Yes," he answered quickly. "It needs only the final ingredient - the hair of your choice - and it will be ready. Furthermore, I have altered it enough that it lasts for four to six hours, instead of two."

The Dark Lord's eyes gleamed. "Very well, Severus, that is very well indeed. I would like you to bring it to me tonight at midnight."

He nodded respectfully, mind whirling, a thousand thoughts flying while his face remained as emotionless and impassive as ever.

"Is there anything else, my Lord? I am always honoured to help you," he added, lest he sounded like he was in a hurry to get away.

"Actually, Severus, there is a small matter that was brought to my attention ... an altercation with Bellatrix in Diagon Alley?"

"Yes, my Lord," he drawled in his practised, bored voice. "Bella is hotheaded and rash, and I didn't wish for her to do something that would cause us problems. She wasn't thinking clearly - and furthermore, that morning, I was on a mission for the Order - I couldn't very well let her kill Weasley under my watch."

The Dark Lord stared at him, intently, for a few moments, and Severus braced himself for the impact of another mind searching his, but it never came. He kept his shields up anyway, fingers biting into the skin of his palms.

"Crucio!"

Unlike Bellatrix's feebler attempt, the Dark Lord's curse brought Severus to his knees in seconds, writhing in the most intense pain he'd felt in a long, long time. His body was being consumed by white hot pain, and it felt like every inch of his skin was being pierced by a thousand flaming needles, each one digging deeper and deeper into his skin. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fought to hold onto conciousness as each wave of pain hit him harder and harder until he was drowning in an ocean of pure agony. He was slightly aware of his nails digging into his palms, drawing blood, and his head hitting the floor every time his body jerked. Someone was screaming - it couldn't be him, his voice was never that raw and broken.

Finally, it stopped, and Severus lay slumped on the floor, head and hands bleeding.

"Your loyalty is mine, Severus, not that oaf Dumbledore's," the Dark Lord growled. "Remember that."

He disappeared from the room. Severus lay on the cold stone floor for what seemed like a very long time, before he managed to get his body to move enough to allow him to reach for his wand and apparate himself home.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Alarming crashing noises coming from the kitchen were becoming all too familiar, Harry thought as he jolted upright, waking from his nap. Draco stirred sleepily beside him, and Harry shook him awake roughly. The blond blinked at him owlishly.

"C'mon, Draco," he said, dragging him out of the bed.. "I think Severus is back."

They rushed to the kitchen and Harry dropped to his knees instantly.

"Professor? Are you okay?" he asked, anger colouring his voice. "What did that monster do to you?"

"You sh'ld call me S'vrus," the man mumbled in a pain-filled voice. "Not p'fssor."

"Severus, then," Harry said anxiously. "What did he do? It was Crucio, wasn't it?"

A slight nod, and trembling. Draco knelt down beside Harry and gently cleaned the open wounds on Severus's head and hands, and ran a second cool cloth down the expanse of uncovered skin, mainly arms and chest and face. The shaking stopped slightly as the cool touch of the cloth soothed the frayed nerves and burning skin.

"Do you have anything that would help?" Draco asked him. "A potion, a cream?"

A shake of the head. "Been working on some, nothing's finished yet," he replied, and his voice was stronger than it was a few seconds before. "Pain's easing, now. Apparating made it worse but wanted to come home."

The two boys watched as Severus's breathing slowly returned to normal. 

"Where's Remus?" he asked after a minute.

"He went into the village to get a few things," Draco said. "He wore a glamour so there was no risk of being recognized. He thought - we all thought, really - that you'd be gone longer. It's barely been an hour! I've witnessed enough meetings to know that they usually take a lot longer than that."

Severus struggled to his feet. The two boys rushed to his side but he pushed them back and sank gratefully into a chair. "It wasn't a meeting," he finally replied. "It was only me."

"He summoned you just to torture you?" Draco asked, and sounded so matter-of-fact that it broke Severus's heart.

"No," he answered gently. "He wants Polyjuice Potion. I need to bring it to him tonight at midnight."

"Tonight?" Harry echoed, aghast. "After he tortured you, you need to go BACK?"

"He tortures me because he fears me disloyal," Severus replied. "Not returning would only serve, in his mind, to confirm his fears. You needn't worry, he will not use Crucio on me again, he has made his point and reminded me where my loyalties lay."

The threesome fell silent and the minutes stretched as Harry and Draco conversed with their eyes and Severus slowly relaxed, letting his shields back down and forcing himself to think of happier things, things that would push out the images of the Dark Lord's gruesome face.

The back door opened and Remus came in with a bag, which he dropped carelessly on the counter when he saw Severus sitting, pale and pained, in the chair. He was at his side instantly, and wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"He hurt you," he breathed. "I felt it - he hurt you badly."

"It's all right, Remus," he said softly. "I'll all right."

"You're the bravest man I know," Remus answered softly, and kissed him gently, not caring who was watching. The whole world could be watching - he wasn't ashamed. He dragged a second chair over and sat beside his mate, pulling him against him despite his grumbles of protest, and smiled softly at Harry and Draco.

"Thanks for taking care of him," he said. "Do you think the two of you could manage lunch?"

"I am perfectly able -" Severus started, but Remus glared at him and he stopped mid-sentence, looking slightly annoyed but biting his tongue nonetheless.

Draco started the water while Harry rummaged around in the bag that Remus had brought in. He pulled out the vegetables and pasta and a piece of paper. He glanced it at for a quick second, ready to throw it out, when his eyes widened and he stared at the poster in horror.

"It's Sally!" Harry said, choking on his own spit.

The other three stared at him like he'd grown three heads.

The poster was very simple: A picture of the red-haired girl, a description of what she'd last been seen wearing, and contact information for anyone who might have seen her.

"She's missing!"


	24. Dungeons.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favourite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the good stuff is coming up woooooo. Fighting Dark Lords and Death Eaters and all that jazz, awesome Narcissa (cause I can't bear making her evil), truces between former enemies, werewolves fighting, all the fun stuff I've been waiting for. Some mildly violent scenes though, in the next few chapters, some deaths probably (I'm not done writing so I'm not entirely sure), ummmm hints towards non-con sex and attempted rape but I won't go into detail for that because I just can't. I know it's all in the warnings but I'd rather be safe than sorry. The story's coming to a close soon, who's sad? I am! I have ideas for other stories but no time to write them because it's vacation time at work and I'm replacing everyone -.- Joys of being one of the youngest. Anyway, as always, thanks for the love, and enjoy xo

Harry paced back and forth for the next half hour, ignoring the others attempts to talk to him. Severus finally threatened to stun him if he didn't sit down and talk to them like a reasonable young adult, and with as fierce of a glare as he could muster up, he sank into the fourth chair in the kitchen and dropped his head into his hands.

"It can't be coincidence," he muttered. "The only witch in a Muggle area suddenly turning up missing? No, it's not coincidence," he repeated more firmly.

"You don't know that for sure," Remus protested.

"I must admit that I tend to be in agreement with Harry on this," Severus said slowly. "It is rather odd."

Tears of frustration welled up in Harry's eyes. "It's all my fault," he said harshly. "I'm useless."

Draco reached out to him hesitantly. "Harry -"

The Gryffindor shook his hand off angrily. "How am I supposed to save the Wizarding World when I can't even keep a five year old safe? I shouldn't have been so stupid - I should have known that I wasn't safe, even here. They always find me. They always will."

"I believe the blame actually falls on me," Severus declared. "I am the one who took you in - all of you in - and I should have been more careful. I shouldn't have let you leave the property at all, and I should have made sure that there was no one else in the area who could be harmed."

Harry sensed that the professor was more upset than he let on, so he laid a hand on his arm. "It's going to be all right," he said, trying to reassure the three others even though he didn't believe it at all. It was the start of the end - things were only going to get worse in the upcoming days. The four of them were going to need each other, and -

His thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when the Floo came to life in the other room. The four of them froze.

"Severus?"

It was the voice of Lucius Malfoy. Draco turned deathly pale, and Remus and Harry shared horrified looks.

"He's not in the house," Severus assured them quickly. "He needs permission to come through. Harry, Remus, go to my room and ward the door shut. NOW."

Harry started to protest, but received a glare so fierce that he grabbed Remus's hand and pulled him down the hallway.

"Severus?" Lucius's voice was more persistent now.

Severus grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him into the living room, casting a spell that left their robes splattered and their hair messy. He was limping slightly; still in slight pain after his encounter with the Dark Lord. He masked the pain with a slight sneer and glanced into the fire.

"Lucius," he drawled pleasantly. "Forgive us for taking so long to arrive - we were in the middle of a complicated new Potion for next term. Would you like to come through?"

The elder Malfoy shook his head. "That will not be necessary. I need you to send Draco through to me, instead. He is needed here at once."

Severus held his breath as he waited for Draco's reply. He probed into his godson's head, and was relieved to see nothing but useless images of potions and daring dives on his broom. He was sure that either Lucius or the Dark Lord would be doing the same immediately - but Draco had learned from him, and he was confident in his abilities.

"I will fetch my things," Draco said, turning towards the door, but Lucius made an impatient sound.

"There is no time," he said. "Severus will send your things along. Come now, come through."

Draco stared at his godfather with wild eyes, begging him to do something. His heart was beating a thousand beats a minute and he wasn't sure how long he could stay upright without passing out. But Severus wore his usual blank expression and twisted his mouth into another slight sneer. 

"Well, go on, Draco," he said briskly. "It's rude to keep your father waiting."

"Okay," he said in a small voice, sounding like a five year old. "Thank you for opening your home to me this summer." 

Severus wanted desperately to hug his godchild and never let him go, but he forced himself to settle for a quick handshake. He held out the Floo powder with trembling hands, and turned away as Draco disappeared into the flames.

He dragged his feet down the hallway slowly, and knocked on his bedroom door. He felt it the instant the wards came down, and he let himself in, staring at Harry and Remus with empty eyes.

"Lucius took him," he said, unable to meet the green eyes that sought his.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around him - Harry and Remus both held him close, Harry with a tear trailing down his cheek, but trying to be strong, nonetheless.

"He'll be okay," Harry said, "he has to be okay."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco's mother threw her arms around him as soon as he stumbled through the Floo. He hugged her back tightly, breathing in her floral scent and clinging to her like she was his shield. She probably was - she was the only one here who wasn't Marked, the only one who maybe, possibly, could be used as a way to contact the others.

His heart squeezed painfully as he thought of Harry - he hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye. He'd assumed that he would have a fair warning before being forced to return to the Manor, but he had been wrong. He wondered what had happened for him to be summoned so rapidly - even though he knew, deep down in his heart, that he didn't really want to know. It was either something to do with Harry or Severus - both options made his blood boil and his heart sink.

"Enough with the silly sentiments, Narcissa," his father said coldly. "Draco is needed immediately."

He let go of his mother and followed his father down the hallway. 

They entered the room and Draco echoed his father's movements, dropping into a low bow before the slimy half-man standing before him.

"Draco," the monster hissed. "I am so glad to see you well."

"Thank you, my Lord," he said softly. "It is a pleasure to see you."

"And what about me?" came a bratty, whiny voice from behind Draco. "Aren't you glad to see your favourite auntie?"

"Of course," he lied. "You look beautiful, as always."

Bellatrix laughed, a chilly, evil sound that sent shivers of unease down Draco's spine.

"We know everything, Draco," the Dark Lord said, getting right to the matter. Draco tensed, head bowed, waiting for the blow that he was certain was coming. When he wasn't hit with anything, curses or fists, he dared to look up.

"Severus is a right bastard, betraying us and dragging you into it," his father hissed. "When we found out what had happened, I wanted to tear him to pieces, but the Dark Lord insisted I wait and be more creative with his demise. Perhaps he is right."

"I -" Draco's words stuck in his throat because anything he wanted to say went against the Vow he'd made with Severus. 

Bellatrix muttered a few words, and then looked at him with a playful smile. "You should be able to talk now, little one," she taunted. "I developed a counterspell for Unbreakable Vows."

"How did you find out about S-Severus?" he managed to say. 

The Dark Lord smiled - a truly terrifying sight, and then motioned for someone in the back room to move forward. He recognized one of the lesser known Death Eaters, pushing two other people forward - he gasped as he recognized Granger and Weasley.

"How -" he started, but was cut off by Weasley.

"I knew you weren't loyal to him, you bastard, you were just getting in his pants to get him to trust you and you were going to betray him all along! You knew your rotten aunt had a spell to get you out of the vow and you've been planning this all along -"

Draco didn't even realize he'd cast a wandless Silencio until the room went quiet again.

His father and the Dark Lord were looking at him with suspicion in their eyes.

"Father -" he began, only to have a spell he didn't recognize fired at him from the other side of the room. It's effects were felt immediately - his cock began to burn in ways that he had never thought imaginable. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he dropped to his knees, shaking.

"That's enough, Bella," his father commanded, and the pain stopped, but Draco stayed on his knees in the dirt.

"Draco."

He looked up into eyes as grey as his own.

"Is it true?"

He lowered his head again. "Yes."

"You have been sleeping with Harry Potter?"

"Yes."

Draco waited for the curses, the blows, the angry words, but nothing came. He looked up to find his father staring at him with disappointment written all over his features. Disappointment and disapproval had always hurt Draco more than anything else, and his father knew it. This time, though, Draco was almost relieved.

"Why?"

"He started it," Draco murmured. "We had called a truce - for Severus's sake, for the summer - and he came onto me. I let it happen instead of pushing it away because I wanted him to trust me. I didn't know how I would get around the Vow, but something had to be done. And I - I maintain my virginity, still, Father," he added almost desperately. "Even I have my limits."

His father laughed coldly. "You turned yourself into a whore for the Dark Lord's benefit. That is low, even for a Malfoy. And unnecessary, because the Mudblood and the blood traitor have told us everything we need to know under the influence of Veritaserum. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I -" Draco wasn't able to deny his father's accusations quickly enough, and when the hard boot jammed into his ribs, he managed to keep from crying out.

"You disgust me," he said. "Does the Potter brat at least care for you, or was it all sex?"

"He cares," Draco said softly.

"Very well," the Dark Lord said firmly. He had been listening the whole time, but stepped in now as he didn't trust Lucius very much, and was worried that the man's anger at his son would interfere with his plans. "I do not know where your loyalties lay, Draco. I had intended to give you the Mark, but I find I cannot. Instead, you will have to be useful in .. .other ways."

"Anything, my Lord," Draco murmured obediently, even as a ripple of fear raced through him.

"Take him to the dungeons along with the foolish boy and girl," the Dark Lord ordered the other Death Eaters. 

Draco was dragged mercilessly down hallways and stairs and was finally thrown into a cell. He pulled himself to his feet and glared at the offending Death Eaters, who simply smirked at him.

"We know a traitor when we see one," the dark haired man said. "You're not fooling anyone. You're only alive cause Master needs you for something."

"Funny, if you know a traitor when you see one, how come it took putting two teenagers under Veritaserum for you to figure out Severus's true loyalty?"

The blond Death Eater slapped Draco hard across the face, splitting his lip in the process. He saw Granger and Weasley being tossed into the cell, and the gate was slammed shut. The Death Eaters moved a bit down the hall, still talking loudly enough for Draco to hear them.

"Reckon we should tell Greyback that the Malfoy whore is back?"

"We can't, you know the Dark Lord needs him alive for the plan to work."

"Greyback wouldn't kill him," the other chuckled. "Bet he'd wish he was dead after he was finished with him, though."

They moved further away and Draco whimpered and backed into the corner, cringing as spiders crawled over his hands.

"Draco?"

He looked down and saw Sally kneeling beside him, looking worried. He hugged the little girl fiercely, looking her up and down. She didn't look hurt - but some of the biggest wounds that had ever been inflicted on Draco hadn't been visible.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked her softly.

She shook her head. "But they hurt you," she said, pointing at his lower lip. Draco reached for his wand, and then mentally cursed. They hadn't taken his wand, but the dungeons were warded and no magic could be performed without the Lord or Lady of the Manor being present. His wand was useless, unless he managed to poke someone's eye out with it, he thought viciously. He dabbed at the blood instead, and forced a smile for the little girl's sake.

"It'll be okay," Draco said. "It has to be okay."


	25. Prisoners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favorite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies! Wow thank you so fucking much for all the wonderful comments on this silly little story. Over a hundred comments, I can't believe it. Hard to believe this story is slowing drawing to a close, and so is my other Drarry fic. Will I write more in the future? Probably. I have a couple ideas, and if you guys have any ideas, feel free to tell me some things you'd like to see in future stories and I can try my best to make it happen.  
> Sorry for the delay in getting this up, I've been having major health problems and I've been in and out of clinics and hospitals for a week. I think (hope) I'm getting better, but at least I can give you something for now! I know how much it sucks waiting, cause I'm a reader as well as a writer! Thanks for the patience. Love you long time xo

Draco was slowly drifting out of conciousness from a lack of food and water when the metal bars of the dungeons slammed open and a tray of food was dropped beside him. He looked up slowly, expecting to see the slimy guards from before, but instead met the cold grey gaze of his father.

"You are not to starve to death," he said bitterly. "It would seem that my Lord has other plans for you."

He whirled away and stalked out of the dungeons, the doors slamming shut magically behind him. Draco looked at the food on the tray, and then looked at the sleeping form of Sally, and the huddled forms of Granger and Weasley in the far corner.

"Granger," he called softly. "Weasley."

Granger stirred first. "Draco?"

"My father brought food," he said softly. "It is not a feast, but there is enough for us to share. Please come and eat something."

Weasley stared at him from the far side of the cell. "How do we know this isn't just a trick? An act, to lure us in, to make us feel sorry for you, and then kill us?"

Draco didn't have it in him to fight. "If you don't want the food, Weasley, don't take any. But please - please believe me. I don't want to be a part of this any more than you do. I stopped wanting to be a part of this long before this summer but what could I do? I was a child. I was helpless, and they knew it. They wanted to rape me, to beat me, to bend me to their will. If Severus hadn't taken me in this summer -" Draco shuddered. "I wouldn't even be alive. Either because they would have killed me, or I would have killed myself to forget all of the things they would have done to me. I didn't think I had a chance, a way out, but Harry showed me that I did." He paused again, shivering and edging closer to the two others. "I love him, Weasley, and I would die for him if it meant that he could be freed from this monster that's controlled his life for so long. I just want him to be happy. He deserves it, even if I don't."

Granger had inched closer during Draco's impromptu speech and now closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him. The warmth of her body gave Draco life again, and he hugged her back awkwardly, a tear running down his dirty, bloody cheek.

"I am so sorry for everything I have ever done to you, or said to you, or even thought about you," he mumbled brokenly. "You're worth a thousand of me, no matter what anyone says about bloodtypes."

She pulled away and motioned to her wrists, where blood was drying, reddish brown and ugly. She then motioned to the same drying blood on his face and hands. "It's all the same, Draco. Just blood. Is it really worth killing for? Is it really worth dying for?"

He shook his head. "No. No, it's not."

Weasley had edged closer and looked at Draco for a long minute. He then sighed, and wrapped an arm around Hermione and placed a hand on Draco's arm.

"Then let's find a way out of here, and stop this monster, before any more blood is spilled." The freckled face was filthy and streaked with even more dried blood than Granger's, but his eyes flashed with a rage that Draco had only seen a few times before in his life. He was very, very glad that that rage was not directed at him.

"Thank you, Weasley," he said softly, and the redhead managed a weak smile.

"Call us by our given names, if we're going to do this thing together. It'll make it easier to remember who's side you're really on."

He nodded. "Ron, then. Ron, Hermione, let's eat first, and get ourselves cleaned up, and then we can figure out how we're going to get out of here. It isn't going to be easy - but then again, none of the situations you've found yourselves in lately have been easy, have they?"

The pair shook their head, and at almost the same time, Sally woke up.

"Are you guys friends now?" she asked sleepily, as if friendship was the only thing in the world that actually mattered.

And maybe, Draco thought, looking at Hermione and Ron again, maybe it was.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Harry had worn himself out worrying about Draco, and had finally slipped into a restless sleep on the sofa. Remus and Severus sat close together, hands entwined, worry etched on both their faces.

"He'll be okay," Remus said, trying to reassure both him and his mate. "Draco is strong - he will get through this."

"If they look into his mind - if they see what has really been going on this summer - if they figure out what side we are actually on -" Severus couldn't stop the worries from tumbling from his lips. "It's my fault. I should have been more careful. I don't know why I let him go. I should have stood up to Lucius. I should have saved him."

"Severus," he said gently, running a hand up his arm. "There was nothing more you could do. If you didn't let him go, they would have found a way to get him anyway. And it would have been worse. You know that."

Severus didn't bother replying, and instead buried his face into Remus's chest. 

"I love you," he said suddenly.

Remus looked up, eyes wide.

"I love you," Severus repeated. "I - I don't want anything to happen, and you not to know."

Remus wrapped his arms around his mate as tightly as he could. "I love you, too, Severus, more than anything."

They sat for a few minutes, wrapped together completely, and then the clock struck 11, and Severus moved away.

"You know I have to go to him at midnight." There was no question in Severus's voice, simply a statement.

"I know," Remus whispered. "I know."

 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

So far, all of their efforts to break out of the dungeons had been futile.

The trio fell back against the wall, all of the energy spent. Sally watched them with worried eyes, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She moved closer to Draco, cuddling against him, closing her eyes again. She was so tired, and it was so cold down in the dungeons that she had a hard time staying awake.

"This is pointless," Ron said in frustration. "We can't break out of here with no magic."

"Ron -" Hermione began, but Draco cut her off.

"No, he's right," he said. "We can't break out of here. We're going to have to escape. Soon enough, someone is going to come down here and open the doors, whether to bring us more food and water, or to take one of us away, or to torture us. Whatever the reason, we have to be ready. We need to take advantage of the situation."

"We're better off attempting when there's only one person that comes down here. If they're more than one, we might not make it, and they'll warn others that we tried to make a break for it," Ron said reasonably.

"I should be the one to attack them," Hermione said decisively. "They'd expect it more from Ron, or even you, Draco. I know how to take someone out without magic - my parents made me take all sorts of Muggle defence courses, even after they found out I had magic. It's the best choice."

"Okay," Draco said. "I believe you can do it."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"How do you think Harry's taking all of this?" Draco asked softly, looking at the others. "I know he's bound to be worried."

"I hope he doesn't know what's really going on," Hermione said worriedly. "We need to get out of here and get back to him and come up with a game plan to get rid of Voldemort before Harry comes charging in here to rescue us and gets himself killed. I'm sure that's Voldemorts plan, somehow, to get him to come charging in and then kill him."

"I wonder what the Polyjuice Potion is for," Draco said absentmindedly.

"Polyjuice Potion?"

"Severus has to bring H-Him Polyjuice Potion at midnight," Draco said. "I wonder what time it is?"

"Do you think he's going to try and get us out of here?" Ron asked, shivering and shifting on the uncomfortable ground. "Or do you think it's a setup? They know he's a spy, don't they?"

Draco paled a bit at the reminder but pulled himself together quickly enough. "They still need him - he's in less danger as long as he's useful to them. Once they no longer need him, though ..." Draco didn't even want to imagine what would happen to his godfather, or himself, when they were no longer 'needed'. He wanted to imagine even less what exactly he was needed for. He had plenty of ideas, and none of them were too pleasant. He shuddered sharply, and Hermione laid a hand on his leg.

"We will make it, Draco," she said softly. "I believe in us."

"I just have such a bad feeling about all of this," he confessed. "I don't know what his plans are, but I know they're big plans, probably the biggest plans he's ever made so far. And he doesn't like failing - he's failed too many times already. We're going to pull off some miracles if we want to beat him," he said dejectedly. "And I'm not very good at miracles."

"We don't need miracles," Sally said, waking up again and blinking at them. "We just need each other."

Hermione clasped Draco's hand in hers and took Ron's hand in the other, and Sally climbed up to lay across all three of them. They stayed that way for a few long minutes, before a rustling noise caught their attention.

An ugly, grinning face presented itself at the bars of the cell, eyes gleaming and teeth flashing.

"Awww, Draco," the voice all but purred. "Hanging out with Mudbloods and Blood Traitors is such a good look for you."

Violent tremors raced through Draco's body as he fought to remain calm.

Greyback smiled and stroked a finger against the bars. "What's the matter, Draco? Haven't you missed me?"


	26. Hide 'n Seeka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe for the Boy Who Lived, thus, Harry Potter finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, with his least favourite professor and his enemy of the last five years. Seems bad enough, but Harry is used to horrible summers with people who hate him and doesn't see how this will be any different. But things are never easy for Harry, and this summer is definitely not going to be an exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought for sure I posted this chapter last week but it would appear the horrible heat (40+ degrees Celsius I AM DYING) is getting to my head, my apologies :/ But never fear, I am still here, and this story is almost done omg. I'm excited but sad cause it's my first HP fic and therefore my baby and I can't believe it's almost over! On the bright side, I'm starting to plot out two more Drarry fics. If anyone has anyone suggestions/requests, feel freeeeeee!  
> Enjoy this chapter :)

Draco shrunk as far back against the wall as he could, shivering as the cold cement brushed against his skin through the holes in the torn clothing that he was wearing. Ron and Hermione leaned against him on either side as the monster in front of them grinned evilly and pulled out a set of metal keys.

"N-no," Draco moaned, sick to his stomach. Out of all the ways that it could end, it had to be this way. Getting used and abused by a sick, demented werewolf.

"Oh, don't worry too much, Draco," Greyback drawled in a overly pleasant tone. "I don't want you, not this time."

As the heavy doors opened, Draco realized what he meant, and jumped in front of Sally, just as a flash of bright light knocked everyone to their knees. Smoke filled the room for a few minutes, and tears streamed down Draco's face as he coughed. A tissue was pushed into his hand and he looked up into the wild eyes of his mother, who was white faced, bruises forming on one side of her face.

"What did he do to you?" Draco hissed, rage boiling in his veins as he looked at her. "What did he DO TO YOU?"

"There will be time for all of this later, darling," she said softly, her voice raspy. "Right now, you need to get out of here."

"What about Sally?" Hermione cut in. "She's too young to be involved in any of this - Please, Mrs.Malfoy, isn't there any way you can get her to safety?"

The regal blonde head turned to look at the small child huddled in the corner. "She reminds me of someone," she said slowly. "I feel like I know her - or perhaps her mother, if she looks like her." She debated for a few more minutes and then held out an elegant hand to the small child. "Come quickly, dear child, we must be gone before they find out what I've done."

Stepping delicately around the fallen body of the twisted werewolf, she plucked the child into her arms and turned to leave.

"Mother!" 

She turned around. "Yes, Draco?"

"What time is it?"

Before she could answer, faintly, in the distance, a bell rang 12 times. Draco turned to the others, eyes wide.

"I'm not leaving here without Severus."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus left the room at 11:45 and slid into his Death Eater robes, putting the vials of Polyjuice Potion into one of the many pockets. He looked in the mirror at his gaunt, tense face, and sighed internally. He didn't want to do this - he knew what was coming, he knew what was going to happen. He paced in his room for a few minutes, putting off the inevitable. He knew he had to do this - but he also knew that Harry and Remus weren't going to just let him walk out of the place without putting up some sort of fight. A tingly feeling shot through him at that thought - it figured, he finally found people to love, who loved him, and he was going to lose them. One way or another, he was going to lose them. He sighed deeply before opening the door and stepping into the hallway. Best to get the confrontation over with. 

Remus and Harry were sitting at the kitchen table, hands clasped and faces pale and strained with worry.

"Severus, you don't have to do this," Remus pleaded for at least the fifteenth time in the last hour.

"If we want to get Draco back alive, I do," he replied, downing a glass of water before glancing at the clock again. 11:51.

"There has to be something else we can do," Harry said. "There's got to be another way - I know there is."

"I'm afraid that if I do not appear, they will kill Draco instantly. They expect me to bargain for him - offer my life for his, offer your life for his, offer some powerful knowledge that could help the Dark Lord fulfil his dreams for his life. They also appear to have desperate need of this Polyjuice Potion, which I fear is not a good thing. But they will do anything to have it, and they know that I will show up, despite knowing that I have been outed as a traitor, because they know I will do anything to get my godson out of that house alive."

Such a long winded speech was unusual from Severus and they all knew that he was right. Draco was a chess piece right now - one wrong move from either side, and he'd be done for. Harry's stomach tightened and he dropped his head on the table.

"Let us go with you," Remus argued. "They will be thrown off - we'll have surprise on our side, that should count for something."

Severus shook his head. He turned away from them, because it was easier to deny them when he didn't have to look at them. "One, you are still weak from the moon, and two, I am afraid that we have no idea how many people will be waiting there for me. The Dark Lord's numbers have been rising since the incident at the Ministry became public knowledge." The clock now read 11:54.

“But they’re going to kill you!” Remus exploded. “I can’t let you die!”

“Sometimes, sacrifices are needed for the greater good of things,” Severus said softly. “I’m sorry, Remus, but it’s a risk that needs to be taken. You do realize what will happen if Draco dies, don’t you?” he asked with a pointed look at Harry, who's head was still down on the table.

Remus lowered his eyes. Severus was right - if they killed Draco, Harry would do one of two things: turn himself over to the Dark Lord, or rush in to avenge Draco’s death. Either way, he would be killed and the Wizarding World would be no more.

“And you don’t think the same thing will happen if you die?” he asked in desperation. “He loves you, too. And I love you What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?.” The frayed man's voice broke, and Severus wanted to take him in his arms, and take Harry in his arms, and wish them away to somewhere where they'd never be found, but he couldn't leave Draco. Maybe ... maybe it would all work out. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but glanced at the clock once again. It was now 11:56, and he looked at his lover one last time.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” he said, and then was gone.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Severus stumbled slightly as he landed in front of the man that he’d once believed to be his true Master. He bowed deeply out of habit, and then slowly, reached into his pocket and held out the vials of potion. A pale white hand grabbed them, and passed them to the person beside him. The potions were sniffed and spells were cast to determine if the potion was what it seemed. Once it was deemed acceptable, Voldemort bowed his head at Severus.

“Oh, Severus,” he hissed, “it pains me to know that you have betrayed me. We could have ruled together, you and I. Your potions are second to no other, and you had the potential to be as firm of a ruler as I. Tell me, Severus, do you remember the day you came to me?”

He did, in fact. And he remembered what had happened after - he’d seen Lily Evans with James Potter, and he’d thought he’d made the right decision. He thought that he’d never know love, that love would never find him, and he decided that there was such a fine line between love and hate, and that hate would have to satisify him.

“ANSWER ME,” Voldemort roared, and Severus jumped slightly.

“I remember,” he said firmly, refusing to address this monster as his Lord anymore. They already knew he was a traitor - what was a little disrespect?

“Tell me, Severus, what has changed since that day?”

Severus bowed his head, knowing that his refusal to answer would result in torture. Mere seconds later, he was hit with a wordless spell, causing his head to explode with pain, and his eyes to go black, and his teeth to bite through his tongue. He barely held onto conciousness, and when the torture came to an end, he slumped to his knees, drained.

“You will answer me now.”

“Love,” Severus said, eyes glowing manically. “I’ve found love! Something you know nothing about! Something you’ve never had, and will never have, no matter what you do to me, or Draco, or Harry Potter, or anyone!”

 

“Cru-” Bellatrix started, but was stopped by the wave of a hand.

“No need, dear Bella, Severus is about to suffer enough.”

He motioned her forward, and Lucius too, and held out the Polyjuice Potion. “This is your last chance at redemption,” he hissed at the pair. “Fail me, and you will pay in ways worse than death.”

He dropped a hair into each of the vials, and the Death Eaters downed them eagerly. The transformation was quick - Severus Snape and Harry Potter stood before them now, with evil smirks on their faces.

“How does it feel, Severus, to know that Draco is going to be killed by your lookalike? I wonder, will he even know the difference? Or will he believe it’s really you?”

“It’ll never work,” Severus gasped. “He won’t believe it’s me for an instant.”

“And Granger and Weasley, killed by their own best friend? How tragic,” Voldemort mused. “They’ll never see it coming!”

“It won’t work, you know,” Severus wheezed out, through the panic in his chest. “Harry will never join forces with you, no matter how many people you kill. And that’s what you want, now, isn’t it? You’ve realized you can go farther with him at your side and you want him as one of your own? It won’t work. He has something you’ve never had - a heart.”

“And you’re about to be the reason it breaks,” he said, laughing coldly.

The moment was broken by the sound a door opening. A guard ran in, panting.

“They’ve escaped! They’re gone!”

Voldemort’s eyes tightened with fury for a brief second, but then he smiled, an ugly, chilling smile.

“They haven’t left the Manor, and they won’t, until they find what they’re looking for. We’ll just have to help them find it. After all, it`s Severus they’ll be looking for, and it’d be awfully cruel of us to keep him from them.”

He motioned to the Polyjuiced forms of Bellatrix and Lucius. “Find them!”


End file.
